Magical Shinobi
by Lightningscar
Summary: Remus didn't die in the final battle. But perhaps that would have been better compared to ending up and getting into trouble in the shinobi world. He makes new friends and enemies, but also gets to deal with an old one foe who shouldn't be underestimated. NOT A SLASH/ YAOI / MALExMALE story!
1. Chapter 1

My first attempt on a crossover. Started this story on another site under the name "Firedragon".

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

"Blah" Speaking in Japanese

"_Blah_" Speaking in English

'Thinking'

Enjoy

Magical Sninobi.

Chapter 1: Meeting the Gang.

Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, Tsunade and Shizune stared at the man in the hospital bed. Team 10 and the others had just returned to Konoha after taking down Kakuzu and Hidan. When Kakashi had gone to finish off Kakuzu for good, he had stumbled upon the bed's occupant. To say Kakashi had been surprised would be the understatement of the year.

A man had been laying a couple of feet away from Kakuzu, and Kakashi would bet his entire Icha-Icha series that the stranger hadn't been near them when Naruto hit Kakuzu with the Rasen-Shuriken. The boy, or man, had been wearing a cloak.

The cloak was very shabby with several patches. The stranger's hair was brown, but Kakashi had noticed several grey streaks, leaving Kakashi unsure of the guy's age. So Kakashi had decided to bring him with them back to Konoha when he had found out the guy had a pulse. It was weak, but it was steady. When they had arrived in Konoha, they had hurried off to the Hospital with both Naruto and the stranger.

Shizune and the nurses had quickly stripped him down to his boxes and when Kakashi had seen the guy's torso, he had silently wondered if he was a sninobi, for the scars looked like ones inflicted upon him from battle and torture. But when he had searched the fellow's robes, he hadn't found any weapons. He found some coins in gold, silver and bronze/copper and a stick, exactly 14 inches long. Putting it back into the pocket he had found it in, he had continued rummaging the robe and was mildly surprised when he found out just how many pockets the cloak had. But when Kakashi had found a picture of a baby, he couldn't help but smile. The baby in itself was cute; perhaps a bit chubby, and with a weird hair colour: It was freaking turquoise and spiky. The baby waved at him and grinned.

Kakashi smiled.

'Heh, reminds me of when Naruto was that size. He would also wave and grin at… What?!'

The baby continued smiling and waving at Kakashi and it took all of his willpower and years of ninja training not to drop the picture right then and there.

'Bite me and burn my Icha-Icha. Now I have seen it all.'

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei? What do you got there?"

Kakashi quickly put the photo back where he found it before replying. "Nothing special Naruto. Was just looking for some ID for this guy. But so far, no identification."

Tsunade nodded before letting out a sigh. "I see. Well, his condition is stable and his pulse steady. But I have no idea how he could have get caught in the blast and not suffer any damage. I think I'm going to have one of the Hyuuga to come have a look at his chakra network."

She was interrupted by a loud yelp of surprise as Naruto jumped away from the sleeping form. Apparently the guy had lashed out at Naruto in his sleep. After being scolded by Tsunade, her lecture not really getting through to him, he walked back to their guest and leaned in over him.

"I think he is waking up."

---

Remus John Lupin was _not _feeling well. Every muscle in his body ached and his head hurt like hell. The obnoxious loud voice near his ears didn't make things any better. Lupin frowned.

'Am I alive? I suppose I'm with all the pain I'm feeling. The last thing I remember is fighting Dolohov. I remember a Killing Curse and some other curse colliding in front of me and the next thing I know is that I'm here… wherever here is.'

Remus slowly opened his eyes. It hurt like hell, but after a minute, he was able to focus. He almost had a heart attack. He was staring into a couple of blue eyes. Lupin quickly took in his surroundings and the face of the guy staring at him.

'Looks like a hospital. Young, teenager. Probably 15-16. Blond… have been lonely in the past. And… are those whiskers?'

"_Where… am… I_?"

From the bewildered looks on the other occupants' faces, it soon became clear to Lupin that they had no idea what he was saying. He let out a long sigh.

'Just great. In a hospital with people who don't understand English. Just my luck. But the… the way they speak. Sounds like Japanese? Perhaps… those lessons finally pay off.'

"Where… am… I?"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. The dialect was heavy with accent, but understandable. "You are in Konohagakure no Sato. My name is Tsunade, the Fifth and current Hokage."

And that made no sense to Lupin. He understood Konoha, meaning leaf and kage meaning shadow. But other than that… he had no clue where he was.

"My name is Lupin. Not to sound stupid but… where in the world is this… Konohagakure no Sato?"

Naruto answered before anybody could stop him. "You don't know where Konoha is? How can you not know? Did you fell down from the Moon or some…? OW! Sakura-chan!"

Lupin winced at Naruto's loudness while the mentioned person rubbed his head. 'Yep, definitely the voice from earlier. Okay, let me think: The blond kid is Naruto. The girl with the pink hair is Sakura or something like that. And the lady with the blond hair identified herself as Tsunade. But who is the man and the other woman… is that a pig in her arms?'

Tsunade had seen Lupin's eyes wander. She smiled slightly as his eyes settled on Shizune and Tonton, Shizune blushing slightly.

"I'm sorry. I forgot my manners. The blond haired kid is Uzumaki Naruto. The girl with the pink hair is my Haruno Sakura. The grey-haired porn reader is Hatake Kakashi. Don't let his appearance fool you; he is one of our top fighters. And the beautiful lady holding the pig is Shizune and the pig is called Tonton."

Remus smiled slightly and nodded to anyone in turn. He thought he heard the guy with the grey heir mumble something along the lines of "It isn't porn and my hair is not grey; it's silver, thank you very much."

Then he noticed his robes and a hopeful expression crossed his features. "Ehm… Mr. Hatake… in my robes… could you get me my wand?"

Upon seeing his baffled expression, Lupin began making gestures.

"Eh… robes… stick?"

If the other occupants found that weird and him strange, they hid it well. Remembering where Kakashi put the stick, now identified as a wand, he held it up to Remus to take. Lupin smiled, obviously relieved.

"Thank you."

Pointing the tip of his wand against his throat, he spoke. "_Translator_."

The word made no sense to the ninjas, but when Lupin spoke their language perfectly, Shizune almost dropped Tonton.

"Now I'm able to speak and understand your language. My full name is Remus John Lupin. Lupin is my surname. And no matter how much I hate to say this, I'm very tired so I would like to get some sleep."

Shizune couldn't help herself any longer. "Excuse me Lupin-san, but how old are you?"

Remus looked at the woman Tsunade had identified as Shizune with a bemusement shining in his eyes. "38. Why?"

Shizune and Sakura gasped in union. "No way! You look like one at 20, at the most!"

Remus laughed in spite of himself. "Really? Haven't heard that one in a long time."

Tsunade silently held up a mirror for Remus to look in. He took with some laughter, but he soon stopped and gasped. Staring back at him was a man he hadn't seen for nearly two decades. Himself as a late teen, beginning of his twenties. His face was less scarred and the premature lines were less pronounced. But what shocked him was the amber, almost wolf like eyes staring back at him.

On top of everything that had happened over the last couple of years, it just became too much for poor Remus Lupin and he passed out, with a howling laughter resounding in the recesses of his mind.

End chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to my awesome reviewers. goth lolita and Riku-sia

Chapter 2: Reunion.

Tsunade rubbed her temples as she glanced at the sleeping form on the bed. It was hours since Remus had passed out, but she was still there, watching in silence as the man's chest rose and fell with each steady breath. She felt a massive headache building up as she contemplated what Hiashi Hyuuga and Inoichi Yamanaka had told her earlier.

The Yamanaka clan head had used one of his many mind jutsus to look into Remus' subconsciousness to check if he was trustworthy. Perhaps a bit low, even for them, but they thought it to be easier than having an interrogation since the scars on his chest indicated he was no stranger to torture. But much to their surprise, the only thing Inoichi found was a forest and an empty cage. It seemed its lock had been broken from the inside and outside. And Inoichi told them it was a pretty heavy lock.

And after Hiashi had scanned him with his Byakugan, the mystery that was Remus Lupin only increased. Instead of one chakra system, he seemed to have two different ones. And if that wasn't enough, but his chakra pathways were more than three times wider than any sninobi he had ever come across and he had more than five times the numbers of chakra points than normal. Hiashi had told her that Lupin's chakra levels were low, but both of them were slowly increasing. But Hiashi was confused as to why Lupin's chakra pathways weren't more damaged than they were.

Tsunade remembered that part because Hiashi had mentioned that the older the sninobi was, the more damaged the chakra pathways would be. But she mostly remembered that she had to resist the urge to pummel the clan head as he said that old ninjas, meaning from 50 and up, could risk getting a chakra plug. A lot like elderly civilians could get a thrombosis.

But when Neji had come by earlier to assist in the scan, they soon found out why Lupin's chakra pathways weren't so damaged. They were restoring themselves! And from what Neji described, it was faster than Naruto after using Rasen-Shuriken.

So now Tsunade had a headache because she didn't know what to do with him. Throw him into a cell and let Ibiki Morino handle him? Ask the other villages if they had a renegade ninja named Lupin Remus? Should she destroy him on the spot?

Just as she was about to punch a hole in the wall, a white bottle and little cup came into sight.

"Need a drink Tsunade-sama?"

Turning to her right, she saw Kakashi, eye curving in his characteristic smile. Tsunade glanced warily at the bottle and cup before taking said items from Kakashi.

"Is this a trick Kakashi? You usually only give me those kind of things when you want something."

Kakashi raised his hands to his heart in mock hurt. "Why Tsunade-sama, don't you trust me?"

Noticing her sceptical glance, he sighed. "Oh fine. I know you're getting a headache with what to do with Lupin-san here, so I have a suggestion: Let me train him. That way we, hopefully, get an asset in the fight against the Akatsuki. And I will be able to keep an eye on him. If I suspect him for being a spy, I will take him into custody. So what do you think?"

Tsunade pondered Kakashi's suggestion for a moment. Then she let out a sigh. "Okay. I will leave him to you, Kakashi."

With that she walked out of the ward to enjoy the free premium saké, leaving Kakashi behind. He chuckled silently. "What I forgot to mention is that I put some of your own drugs into the saké. It's the same drug you used on Jiraiya-sama. And I'm training Lupin-san is so that I can get a vacation."

With that he left the room in a swirl of leaves. Remus slowly opened his eyes, deeming it safe to drop the act of being asleep. Knitting his brow in confusion, he wondered out loud.

"Why would they need my help to fight dawn? This place is weird. Oh well, I will find out tomorrow."

"_Or what about finding out now, human?_"

Remus, who just had closed his eyes again, opened his eyes again before bolting upright. Something normal people can't do because their muscles aren't strong enough. But as a werewolf, some rules don't apply to him.

'That voice… I have heard it before… but where...'

"_Oh? You don't remember me Remus? How disappointing. But I guess it can't be helped. It has been some time, hasn't it? Well, we can fix that. Refresh some memories._"

The voice had barely stopped speaking before the entire room vanished in a fog, just to be replaced with something Lupin guessed to be a clearing in a forest.

-Hogwarts, England, May 2 1998-

Harry Potter, stared at his friend Ron Weasley as if he had grown another head. "Is this a joke, Ron? Because if it is, it isn't a very good one."

Ron shook his head. "I'm afraid not mate. As we were about to move the bodies of Lupin and Tonks, a white dome of light engulfed Lupin and Tonks. When it disappeared, Lupin was gone but Tonks wasn't. Kingsley saw it too and they are already investigating it."

Harry groaned. After a few hours of sleep in the Gryffindor Tower, this was so much not what he needed to hear. He slowly got out of bed and ran a hand through his hair, as if trying to get it under control. But as usual, his hair didn't listen to him at all. Sighing, he motioned for Ron to follow him. Ron soon caught up to him and asked in a tired, yet merry voice.

"So, what's the plan now boss?"

Harry mentally cringed being called boss, but continued his walk nonetheless. "To speak with Dumbledore. Perhaps he knows what is going on."

And with that they set off to the Headmaster, or more correctly Headmistress Office.

-Konoha Hospital, Fire Country-

-Remus' mindscape-

Lupus quickly took in his surroundings. The clearing was almost circular with a large rock in the middle. The rock had ragged edges and there seemed to be an opening in it. Almost like a den. The trees stood so close that Lupin couldn't see past the tree line, making him rather uncomfortable. But otherwise he seemed to be alone in the clearing.

Nevertheless, he was slightly put at ease when he noticed he was wearing his usual robes. But it was short-lived when he rummaged his pockets for his wand: It wasn't there. Glancing over his shoulders, he took a tentative step closer to the rock

"Looking for something Remus? Or rather: someone?"

Remus spun his head so fast that he heard a loud crack in his neck. But no matter what he had expected, nothing could have prepared him for what he saw when he turned in the direction of the one who had spoken.

Sitting on the top of the rock, glancing down at him with amber eyes, was a huge grey wolf, scratching a spot behind its ear lazily. And the worst part for Lupin was that he recognized the wolf immediately, even though he hadn't seen it for almost two decades. And he wasn't happy to see it, if his narrowed eyes and low voice was anything to go by.

"Moony."

End chapter 2.


	3. Chapter 3

A great thanks to my awesome reviewers. Here is the third chapter. Enjoy. Please review and tell me what you think.

Chapter 3: Return of Moony. 

"Moony."

The wolf chuckled slightly as he continued his scratching. "And hello to you too Remus. Long time no see."

Remus glared at the wolf. No wonder that voice had been familiar. It belonged to what the Marauders had called his furry little problem.

"Not long enough if you ask me. I thought I locked you away 18 years ago. And I can do it again. So why don't you save us both the trouble and get back in your cage?"

Moony stopped scratching his ear and looked down at Remus, a thin smile forming on his lips, revealing his white teeth.

"And locking me away was your mistake. Thanks to that, your reflexes, strength, speed and enhanced senses dropped dramatically. It was also then that your health went to the rats and your body started ageing. But even so, your reflexes and strength were greater than most of your peers."

Lupin glared at the wolf, contempt and anger lacing his words. "So in other words, I don't you need you or what you have to offer, Moony! So go back to your cage and stay there this time!"

Moony merely glanced down at Remus, his smile widening. "I might have believed you if we had been home, human. But we are not. This world is quite different. So please stop trying to treat me as a dog. I'm not, unlike that guy. What was his name again… oh yes, Sirius Black or Padfoot as you called him. I called him mutt."

He chuckled again as he saw Remus cringe slightly at the mention of Sirius.

"Oh yes, I almost forgot. The two of you were friends, weren't you? Well, your friend had some very nasty teeth and claws, I will give him that much. Then again, he only got to fight a pathetic shell of our former self, thanks to you and that bloody potion. Wolfbane Potion, was it? Well, you won't be able to take that cursed potion here, now will you?"

Remus let out a long string of curses, something he hadn't done in ages. Moony was right. Letting out a sigh, Remus took a step towards the wolf, staring right back into its amber eyes.

"Potion or not, I will not let you harm anybody. If I have to, I will pin myself to the ground. I don't need you, or what you have to offer. So get back into your cage!"

At this Moony laughed before standing up and stretching his entire body. Glancing down at Moony, he chuckled dryly.

"Our current predicament tells me something different, human."

Remus frowned at this, confusion written all over his face. "Explain."

Moony chuckled as he stretched again before making himself comfortable by taking a seat. "I wouldn't be here, out of the cage you created, if you hadn't called upon me. But I guess the Killing Curse combined with that other curse and your wish to survive broke the cage. Don't forget Remus, I can hear your deepest thoughts. Well, moments before you got hit, you wished that you had better reflexes to dodge the attack. I heard it, and despite being weakened, I succeed in transferring a bit of my power to you, forming a thin layer to shield you."

Remus frown deepened as he thought about what Moony had said. His frown turned into a scowl as he came to the conclusion that Moony was playing with him. And given his knowledge to his inner wolf, he wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.

"But that doesn't explain why I'm here!"

Moony had to bit back his laugh. He loved playing games with the human in front of him. It took him back to the time Remus was a teenager. But since this situation was quite different, he supposed he shouldn't play around. After all: If the human was to die, so would the wolf.

"I suppose it doesn't, does it?"

Upon seeing the anger beginning to show in Remus' eyes, Moony decided to stop fooling around.

"Easy boy. I was coming to that. The two curses intended for you collided before they hit you, did they not? Combined with the shield I created, their effects were altered. Together they cut a fissure in time and space, thus enabling travelling between dimensions. That was what the Killing Curse and that other did. And due to my shield, you weren't killed but put you into a comatose like condition. No wonder all thought you were dead. Only an animal with primal instincts or a highly trained healer would have been able to tell the difference."

Remus frowned. He was in another dimension? Just the idea was ridiculous to him. Then again, he had seen so many strange things in his life that he wouldn't rule it out completely.

"You make no sense. Just assuming that you're right, just assuming the curses cut a fissure in time and space, it still doesn't explain how I can be in this dimension if I was knocked out cold."

Moony sighed. "Good grief, what happened to the intelligent Remus Lupin? Are you really that dense, human? That fissure in time and space, the place where the borders between the dimensions are broken, is you. That is why those around you when you regained consciousness weren't brought with you! You didn't go through the dimensions immediately since you have to be awake and conscious to travel through time and space. So the moment you woke up, you were thrown through time and space. Unfortunately, the strain that caused on your body knocked you out again the moment we arrived here."

Lupin frowned as he thought about it. He guessed it made sense. But he still didn't understood one thing.

"Assuming there are more than one dimension, then answer this, Moony: Why this dimension?"

For the first time ever, Remus saw the wolf frown slightly in thought. But it was soon replaced with a confident smile.

"That I'm less sure about. But I have a guess. Then again, my guesses are usually good."

At this Remus glared at him. "Okay fur ball, then what about answering me why this dimension? What if you're wrong?"

Moony grinned as he stood up and began walking away. "Another time, Remus, another time. AS for being wrong: Well, I was right about the redhead that night wasn't I? What was her name? Oh yes, Lily Evans. Bye Remus."

Lupin tried giving pursuit as the wolf vanished, but found that he couldn't. Cursing the wolf with all his might, his surroundings changed again.

-Konoha Hospital, Fire Country-

Looking out the window, Remus saw that the sun was setting. Lying back down, Remus let out a long sigh.

"So Moony is loose again. So much not what I needed. But it explains why I look so young and my keen sense of smell and hearing. But I wish that bloody wolf hadn't mentioned that night with Lily. James would kill me if he knew."

With that he fell into an uneasy sleep, Moony's chuckle resounding in his mind.

End chapter 3.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Past and Dark Plots.

Remus let out a long sigh as he got into the hot water in the hot spring. Kakashi and his group had worked him harder than he thought humanly possible. The exercise had been for him to accumulate something the silver-haired man called chakra in the bottom of his feet and release a steady amount. By doing so, you could apparently walk up trees without anything to help you. Lupin was quite sure his mouth had hit the floor when Kakashi had demonstrated how it was to be done and walked vertically up a tree trunk. And all of the strange ways to put his hands and fingers in was driving him barking mad. And with Naruto laughing when he ended on the ground, usually with his rear first, the normal cheerful werewolf was in a foul mood. He would have to repay the favour in the best way possible: Pulling one of the pranks he pulled on Sirius during their years at Hogwarts. He wasn't a Marauder for nothing after all. Things weren't made better when he heard Moony laughing at him in the back of his mind.

But despite his problems, he had surprised the sninobi big time when it came to his physical performances, even if he wasn't near as fit as them.

Because he hadn't only worked on hand seals as the sninobi called them and chakra control, but he had also been doing push-ups and the like from dawn to midday. And while he hated to admit it, he was grateful that Moony had restored his body over the night and allowed him to draw on some of the wolf's strength.

But the sninobi had surprised him too. Especially the girl. She had punched an unnatural pale guy that if Remus' memory served him right, his name was Sai, a long distance because he was being rude. And a guy named Yamato could create wood out of nowhere.

He opened his eyes as his sensitive hearing picked up on a sliding door being opened, four people's footfall and the door being closed again. Looking up, he smiled.

"Hello. I understand why you recommended this place. It's quite comfortable. And relaxing for sore muscles too."

Naruto laughed while getting in, aka jumping in, splashing water everywhere. The guy named Sai cast Naruto a perplexed look for his actions as the latter resurfaced, before walking into water without saying a word. Yamato just shook his head before getting in. But Lupin blinked when Kakashi walked in. Just like the others, he was just wearing a towel around the waist, but he was reading a green book. But when Kakashi took a seat next to him, Lupin couldn't help but gape openly. Kakashi was wearing a piece of cloth or small towel around his face, obscuring the lower part of his face. But Lupin was in for another shock.

Due to his heightened senses, he could see several small white scars criss-crossing the torsos of Yamato and Kakashi. From what he could see, they were stab wounds, and he found himself pitying the sninobi. Deciding to relax for now, he lowered himself more into the water, shielding his body from more curious glances.

He groaned mentally and shuddered.

'Crazy girls. Checking me out like that. Haven't anybody told them that's rude to stare?'

He was thinking about four girls who had come by during his push-ups. Due to the heat, he had abandoned his shirt as he felt sweat running down his back and then continued with the push-ups. Unfortunately, the four girls had come at that exact moment and when he had identified a sound as giggling, he had stopped his exercise and glanced in their direction. What he had seen had shocked him to the core.

Four girls, one of them being Sakura, were looking at him with dreamy eyes and small nosebleeds. One of the girls wore purple clothes and had blond hair in a ponytail. Another was a brunette with two buns and the fourth looked like she was blind and had black-blue hair.

Glancing up into the sky, he saw that the full moon probably was five days away.

'_Are you nervous, Remus? Are you afraid that I might hurt some of these people when I get loose? Ah yes. You can feel it too, can't you? My strength is returning._'

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Remus looked around for something to focus on, ignoring Moony's taunts. He didn't have to search for long. The blond haired youth, Naruto, was trying to climb the wall and take a peek into the women's section. Smirking slightly, Lupin pulled out his wand from the towel behind his head and after making sure the others weren't watching him, pointed it at Naruto. It was payback time.

'_Levicorpus_.'

Naruto gave a startled yelp as he rose into the air as if was being pulled by his ankles. But Lupin wasn't quite done.

'_Colourful_'

With that, certain parts of Naruto's anatomy turned a horrible blue. Which he of course proclaimed very loudly. And to make things more embarrassing, he was so high into the air that he could be seen in his birth suit by the women. Remus laughed in spite of himself as he whispered the counter spell for both and let his victim fall to the ground.

The second spell was one Sirius and James invented during their second year. It was usually used to dye people's hair, especially unsuspecting Slytherins. Best part was that if performed correctly, the effects of the spell would only be gone after one week. Remus had used 'levicorpus' and the other on Sirius in their sixth year. Why? Padfoot had mistakenly thought that he could get away with stealing Lupin's chocolate. But Lupin had had a different line of thought. A quick spell here and there, and suddenly Sirius was hanging upside down without his pants and underwear during dinner. Best part: Lupin got away with it while Sirius got himself two weeks of detention and the disgust of the girls for two months.

Naruto grumbled as he reached the other four males, three of them wearing smiles. Glaring at Sai, Naruto spoke.

"Not a word, Sai. Not a word. I think I'm going home. See you guys tomorrow."

With that he got out of the water, looking like he wanted to dig a grave for him to jump into. Yamato and Sai soon followed, leaving Remus and Kakashi alone in the water. Kakashi chuckled.

"That wasn't a very nice trick you pulled on Naruto, you know that? And also: How did you get those scars?"

Remus turned to look at Kakashi, astonishment written all over his face. "So you noticed?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yes. And so did Yamato. And I know you noticed the scars on our bodies too. Despite me only having one eye, I'm more perceptive than people give me credit for. And I can tell you carry horrible memories with you."

Kakashi hesitated, sensing Remus' anxiety.

"Remus, it's possible you don't want to hear this, but talking about your problems and traumas is the first step to put them behind you. So if you want to talk, I'm all ears."

'_You are smart, grey hair. Too smart for your own good. Ever heard about curiosity killing the cat?' _

Remus let out a long sigh, drowning out Moony's growling. He really liked Kakashi. The man was a lot like James and Sirius. Both of them had been able to see right through him. It was unnerving at times, but as they grew older, it was oddly comforting. But he didn't know if these people knew about his lycanthropy and despite for having barely known Kakashi for a day, he was already starting to consider him a friend. Wishing he could give him another answer, Remus met Kakashi's gaze.

"I'm sorry Kakashi, but I can't tell you about my past. The past is past, but mine past is something that still haunts me this day. I might look young to you now, but don't forget I'm in my thirties. For almost three decades I have been carrying my curse, and I can't do anything about it. A past I'm painfully reminded of one week each month. And so it will be until the day I die. It's only thanks to my friends and those who needed me that I haven't gone insane or killed myself yet."

If it hadn't been for Kakashi's ninja training and many years of being a sninobi, he might have been gaping at Lupin stupidly. Lupin had more or less just described his entire life and his very being in very few sentences. Of course there was always the risk Lupin was lying, but Kakashi could hear the sadness and bitterness in Lupin's voice. So Kakashi came to the conclusion that he and Remus were more alike than he thought and he wondered what kind of chakra nature Lupin would be.

'Will Lupin have the lightning affinity like me? Minato-sensei once told me that your affinity depends on your personality in a battle situation. Lightning types are level-headed and calm, but they are devastating like lightning once unleashed. And like lightning, you get subtle warnings that an attack is on its way, but you can never predict where they will hit and they never strike the same place twice in a row.

Will he be a fire type? Fire types are very fierce when fighting and more than once, they get out of control and destroy everything on their way without caring. They also tend to put too much faith into their powers and grow arrogant while fighting. And they have quite the temper. Though, if the ninja also have water, the arrogance can be evened out.

Water maybe? People with water affinity are to start with calm and collected, but it doesn't take much for them to change into a raging monster. Just like a small drizzle can change into a regular downpour or a tidal wave to rise on a quiet beach. They hit with tremendous power and retreats slowly.

Wind perhaps? Like water, those people can change in matter of seconds. But unlike water, you never now when the storm settles down. It can go on for days or be over in few minutes. Wind types are unpredictable. Naruto and Minato-sensei are the proof of that.

Earth? Sturdy people who usually relies on their brute force. And way too stubborn when it comes to acknowledging defeat and they just refuses to die. Your attacks have some effect on them, like wind and water on cliffs, but unless you have some destructive power that can take care of them in a flash, you better prepare yourself for a long fight. And like with an earthquake, you must watch out for aftershocks as they can be worse than the first earthquake.'

Kakashi had been so focused pondering what kind of nature affinity Remus would have that he hadn't noticed his charge had risen from water and walking back to the changing rooms. Sighing he got out of the water too and walked into the changing room. He couldn't help but to be impressed that Remus was already in clothes. The long robes had been washed so they were clean but they were still patched up several places. At least Remus had agreed on wearing ninja sandals instead of the shoes they had found him in. Those shoes had been worn out like Remus hadn't bothered buying new ones for a decade or didn't have the money to. Kakashi concluded that either Lupus was a cheapskate or he was really poor.

Getting back into his clothes, Kakashi became aware that Lupin was standing in front of the mirror with a frown on his face and muttering quietly to himself. Remembering his mission to keep an eye on Remus, Kakashi decided to listen in. But to his frustration, Lupin was talking a language he didn't understand.

"_I told you once before Moony: I will rather tie myself down than let you harm those people._"

'_And I'm telling you, human, that the grey-haired man is too nosy to trust. He is with you so he can keep an eye on you and kill you if you can be considered a threat. Let me kill him before he kills us._'

Remus fell silent for a minute, contemplating the wolf's words. "_Don't you think I know he is assigned to keep an eye on me? Thanks to you, I can smell and hear emotions, even if the person tries to hide it. Those people are good at hiding their emotions, but all day I have been able to smell their distrust and fear. And even if Kakashi is keeping an eye on me, you can't kill him. It will only give me, and thus you, problems. Besides, I smelled something other in Kakashi. Sadness, doubt and hope." _

Moony growled, unheard by all but Lupin. "_You are a fool, Remus. You trust people too much. Just like that old fool, Dumbledore. His trust became his undoing. Just like that redhead and her loser of a husband you called friends._"

"_ENOUGH!_"

That was the only warning Kakashi got before the mirror exploded, sending glass shards everywhere. It was only due to Kakashi's training he managed to dodge some that came his way. Glancing around from his crouching position, Kakashi noticed that aside from the glass shards imbedded into the walls and small cabinets, the changing room was intact. Glancing at Remus and over the man's left shoulder and into a shard that hadn't gone flying, Kakashi saw something that took him back to a dark room three years ago: An amber eye staring out in the room with inhuman malice.

But when Kakashi blinked in order to make sure he wasn't seeing things, the eye was gone and Remus was heading out of the door, his cloak billowing behind him.

Sighing Kakashi got on his feet and stepped closer to the remnants of the mirror, watching it in fascination. Only two shards remained and when Kakashi got close enough, he realized they were placed exactly where Remus' eyes had been. Frowning and leaving some money behind to repair the damages, Kakashi walked out of the changing room, hoping that Remus hadn't gone too far away. Luckily, Remus seemed to waiting for, leaning against a wall, apparently much calmer than he was moments ago.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Kakashi walked up to Remus.

"Ready to go?"

Remus sighed. "Yes. And sorry about what happened before."

Kakashi shrugged. "No need for apologies. But I would like if you don't make more things explode. And if you do: Please give me a better warning next time."

The ghost of a smile graced Remus lips as he pushed himself of the wall. "Deal."

The smile was soon replaced by frown. "What is that? In your vest?"

Glancing down, Kakashi frowned slightly. Something was reflecting the rays from the setting sun. Taking one out of his pockets, he touched the place and was surprised as it seemed to bite him. When he took away his hand, he noticed a small wound, fresh blood flowing out. His frown deepened when he, more cautious this time, placed a couple of fingers and pulled out a particular sharp and long piece of glass out of his vest. He was more than surprised when he held it up to his eyes and noticed it was as long and wide as his middle finger. Now slightly worried, Kakashi took his right finger and forced it into the hole the shard had made. He felt his visible eye widen, but only for a second. The shard had made it through his vest and shirt, right where his heart is. It hadn't pierced into the flesh, but Kakashi could feel how the surface had been broken. Glancing at the shard again, he tossed it away and gave Remus a smile as they started walking.

"Don't worry about that. Now I know I need to keep my distance when you look into the mirror. Although I have my doubts if it was because of the quality of the mirror or your looks."

Remus gave a little smile but didn't reply. However, his calm outside contrasted greatly with his inside.

'_Moony! You tried to kill him didn't you?! Didn't you?!' _

Moony growled back, clearly angry. '_Yes. _ _And I would have succeed if you hadn't shouted, you fool! He will be on guard from now on. Whether or not you like this, human, but someone getting killed are inevitable. And I don't want to be among the killed, get it?!' _

Remus soon got into a heated discussion with his inner wolf, but he kept it to himself this time. If he hadn't been so engrossed in the discussion, he might have learned that Kakashi was having a similar discussion with himself from his scent.

'That was a bit too close for comfort. A little more and that could prove to a one-way ticket to Hell. Or a two-way if the Hospital counts as Hell on Earth. Did he do it on purpose? Was he trying to kill me? I felt him releasing an amount of killing intent close to that of Orochimaru, but only for three seconds. One right before the mirror exploded and two after. But killing intent doesn't usually destroy things like that.'

Glancing to his right, he noticed Remus seemed deep in thought as they climbed the stairs to Kakashi's apartment. Remus would be staying there for a while, thanks to Tsunade. She thought Kakashi would be able to keep an eye on him that way. Sighing, he opened his door and set to work with fixing a futon for Remus while the latter was in the bathroom.

'Lupin Remus: What are you hiding? And can I trust you?'

As if summoned, Remus came out and laid down on the futon before closing his eyes. Kakashi went into the bathroom, took a quick shower and brushed his teeth before settling into bed, thoughts running thousand miles per hour. Unknown to him, his charge was having his own trouble sleeping.

'_Shut up you blasted creature! You tricked me! I wasn't trying to kill Kakashi, you were!' _

'_So? When you felt like killing me, I just transferred the energy to the mirror together with the wish of which I wanted killed. The directions those shards flew weren't random. They were chosen by me. And if you hadn't noticed what was going on and shouted like a child, I would have succeed in transferring enough energy to finish the job. But no, you had to interfere, didn't you?' _

Remus felt his anger boiling, but quickly calmed himself. '_Of course I did! Otherwise Kakashi would have died! You remember the rules we made when he went on the undercover missions for the Order, don't you? We only kill if necessary and both of us have to agree on it! Those are the rules!' _

At this Moony howled with laughter, and Remus could clearly imagine the dangerous smirk on Moony's face as the laugher receded to a chuckle.

'_New world, new rules, human. New rules. But go to sleep now human, I will not disturb your sleep tonight.' _

With that Moony went silent and Remus settled into an uneasy sleep, Moony's words replaying in his mind, because they gave him a bad feeling. He didn't like it. He didn't like it one bit.

___  
Madara stared at the man sitting opposite him, the other man's face hidden in the shadows. "So we have a deal then?"

The other man let out a small chuckle and even Madara had to fight the involuntarily shudder running down his spine when the other man spoke with friendliness.

"Yes, we have a deal. You get the boy and I get the creature. But dare I ask why you suddenly come to me with this?"

Madara stood up and stretched slightly before looking out at the waxing moon. "Let's just say that the two of them could prove to be quite a hindrance for my plans. A hindrance I would rather be without. So get to work and you will get your prize."

Bad move. The temperature seemed to drop several degrees as the other man spoke, his voice dripping with venom, devoid of the pleasantries from before.

"In case you have forgotten, I'm not your subordinate. Nor am I your puppet for you to control from behind the scenes. I'm your partner in this and I demand to be treated as such. Or are you trying to call off the deal? I wouldn't be surprised if you were. I have already bled more for you than you have for me."

Madara merely scoffed. "Just make sure you have them in your possession before the next full moon."

With that he teleported away, leaving the other man to prepare his move.

End chapter 4 


	5. Chapter 5

Warning: This chapter gets a little dark. Enjoy. And thanks to all of those who have reviewed so far.

Chapter 5: Training, Affinity, Past and Mission. 

When Remus had woken at dawn, he was fresh from a full night's rest. Something he hadn't had for almost two decades after he imprisoned the wolf. One would think that after the wolf being locked away, he would get some peace. But even when caged, the wolf had interrupted his sleep with memories or something else. So unlike others, a full night's sleep wasn't a good thing for Remus John Lupin, because he knew it could only mean one thing: Moony was gathering strength for something and Remus' past experiences told him it was never a good thing. Add to that that it soon would be full moon, increasing Moony's power. Moony was powerful enough the one year where his power peaked before Remus got him locked away. And even so, Moony remained more powerful than most of his kin as he barely got challenged during the undercover missions. And far more cunning.

Remus shuddered.

'_And now he is free again, regaining his power. And knowing him, he will return even stronger than before. And smarter too._'

Remus waited for Moony to answer, but he remained silent. Closing his eyes to look into himself, he had to suppress a smirk. Moony was curled up, sound asleep, snoring slightly. It would be a funny sight for anyone to see the proud wolf snoring, but it only set Remus even more on edge. If Moony was sleeping, even after now, he was gathering his powers for something big. Meaning that all of the wolf's power hadn't returned yet. But it was quite alarming that after so many years of imprisonment, Moony was already able to pull such a stunt.

Sighing, he got up and prepared for the day to come, wondering what it would bring.

---

When Kakashi woke, he was quite happy about it. He was having a nightmare he didn't seem to be able to wake from by himself. Sitting up in his bed, he took a quick around and was quite startled to find Remus' futon empty. He raised a silver eyebrow before berating himself.

'Kakashi, you are slipping. Since when do you let your charge sneak off? But I guess I can rule out the possibility for him being an enemy. If he was, he would most likely have tried killing me in my sleep. Hmm? What is that?'

Sniffing for a minute, Kakashi's nostrills were bombarded with heavenly smells. 'Eggs, bacon, toasted bread… wait, what?!'

Kakashi bolted from his bed and out in his kitchen, just to stop in his tracks and glance around stupidly and have his mouth open slightly in surprise. Eggs were being cooked on pan, nothing wrong with that. What was wrong was how the pan moved on its own accord, making sure the eggs didn't get too much. It was also wrong how the bread got sliced by a knife hanging midair before going to the toaster. And sitting by the table was Remus Lupin with a cop of coffee, while the breakfast was preparing itself.

"Ah, I see you're up. I didn't wake you, did I?"

Kakashi shook his head, making sure that his mask was still in place. "No, you didn't. Quite a feat actually. You see, I pretty much wake up by the smallest sound."

"And you're the biggest liar, Kakashi-senpai."

Both Remus and Kakashi turned to look at the window were Yamato was perched, scowling slightly in Kakashi's direction. Kakashi just raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging in the corner of his mouth.

"You know, you could just have knocked on the door. But now that you're here, why don't you come in and get some breakfast?"

Only now did Yamato take notice of the self-cooking breakfast and Kakashi would almost bet his salary that Yamato's mouth was very close on hitting the floor. Glancing around one last time, Yamato shook his head.

"Eh, no. I think I pass. I just wanted to remind you and Kakashi-senpai that we start our training in one hour and that you are to report to Tsunade-sama right after we are done."

With that he disappeared in cloud of smoke, only one thought running through his head. 'That was just weird.'

Kakashi chuckled. "Sorry about that. I'm not that bad."

Remus chuckled, ignoring Moony's low growl since the latter now was awake. "I won't say anything. Not that I can either. I don't spy on people when they are asleep."

Kakashi suppressed the urge to flinch from the sudden feeling of guilt. He had woken up during the night due to a nightmare. The nightmare was from before he became an ANBU and learned techniques to put away the traumas. It was also something he had used when he had been taken capture and tortured. Smiling, Kakashi sat down opposite Lupin.

"Well, glad to hear. Now I can sleep without worrying about that. Time to eat, I think."

But just as Kakashi was about to rise and get the food, Remus spoke up. "No need for that. This is much quicker."

Before Kakashi could even blink, Remus pulled out his wand from his robes and gave a small flick with it. Kakashi stared in amazement as the food started moving through the air before placing itself in front of the two men. Once Kakashi got over the strange sight, he digged in. And to Remus' surprise, he was so fast in doing so that Remus had barely taken a bite of his toast before everything on Kakashi's plate were gone and his cup empty. But he had apparently been gaping like another idiot as Kakashi gave him a cheerful chuckle.

"You know, it's very rude to stare at people like that. But I must admit, your cooking beats Minato-sensei's with ease."

Remus blushed slightly before giving a weak smile and pocketing his wand. "Well, living alone without money to go out and eat on a restaurant can do that to you. Sensei means, if I remember correctly, teacher? So this Minato was your teacher?"

Kakashi gave a slight smile and nod. "Yes. He cared about me when nobody else did." He let out a weak chuckle. "The man could take on small armies of ninja on his own without getting a scratch and run faster than anybody else when he needed to get away from his girlfriend Kushina, charm his way out of a beating by Tsunade-sama after getting caught peeping with his sensei, but he couldn't cook an egg even if his life depended on it."

Remus grinned. "I think I can relate to that. My best friends, James Potter and Sirius Black, couldn't cook either."

With that Remus eat the rest of his breakfast, Kakashi watching him in mild interest, his nightmare forgotten.

___  
Hours later, Remus stared at the ground beneath his feet. Or rather: Lack of ground. '_This is so wrong. This is not possible. It's against the laws of nature.' _

'_It's also against the laws of nature that some people can change things into something else by a small flick with a twig, boy. Yet you people do it all the time, so why should walking on water be any different? It seems natural enough to those people if you ask me.' _

For once Remus actually agreed with Moony. He supposed it was natural for those people since Kakashi, Yamato, Naruto, Sakura and Sai were standing on the water alongside him, the pinkette and blond smiling from ear to ear. Kakashi nodded his approval.

"Well done. I must say that considering that you have never heard of chakra before, you are quite the learner."

Lupin, still staring at the water surface he was standing on, gave a weak smile. "Yeah. I heard that from my teachers a lot. But this is still… wrong."

He had barely uttered the last word before his concentration went to the dogs. This of course caused him to break the control over his chakra flow and ultimately caused him to fall into the water. When he resurfaced, three people were looking at him with confused expressions while Naruto was laughing while Sai looked indifferent. Naruto was the first to speak.

"After 8 hours and you still can't stand on water for more than a minute? Man, you chakra control sucks even more than mine do!"

Sai nodded. "Indeed. It seems Naruto has found one who is just as incompetent as him."

'_Incompetent?! Incompetent?! Let us have a chat next full moon and we will see who is incompetent you little runt!' _

Remus bit back his laugh at Moony's indignation. '_Are you growing soft Moony? It was me who was being insulted after all. But you can't attack them, how insulted you may be._'

Lupin bit back a wince at Moony's angry growl. '_Fine. Have it your way. But you should beware of the blond… he smells funny. He kinda smells like one of our kin, but not quite. I sense great evil within him. Evil that surpasses my own._'

Remus nodded absentmindly. Unfortunately, Kakashi took it as he understood everything he had explained if his eye crinkle and outstretched hand to Lupin was anything to go by.

"Excellent. Let's find out what affinity you have, shall we?"

Remus took the hand and found himself pulled from the water and on to the shore. Shaking his head slightly to get the water out of his hair, now short, he glanced at Kakashi.

"Affinity? For what?"

Kakashi let out a little sigh. "Your chakra affinity which will decide what kind of ninjutsu you can learn. Based on your affinity, I will figure out the best training for you."

Then he took five minutes to explaining the five basics natures and their strength and weakness relation to each other. And much to Kakashi's relief, Remus seemed to get it first time around, unlike a certain student of his. He smiled inwardly as Naruto looked astonished that Remus got it right when he didn't. Kakashi gave a smile in Remus' direction.

"Finding out one's affinity is easy. All we need is one of…"

Lupin's eyes went wide when he saw Kakashi reach for one of the bags behind his back. Werewolf reflexes kicking in, Remus had drawn his wand so fast and pressed it under Kakashi's chin before the latter could even blink. And all the way Remus heard the familiar and feral chuckle of Moony.

'_I told you so._'

That seemed to snap Remus out of it and he lowered his wand. To his utter surprise, Kakashi seemed unfazed by what just transpired. Putting his wand back in his pocket, ignoring the growl of disapproval from Moony, Remus spoke in a slightly shaking voice.

"Sorry about that Kakashi. I was fighting in wars where I come from. One slight hesitation could mean the difference between life and death. Forgive me; I meant no offence."

Kakashi shook his head and glanced at Yamato with a grim look. The latter had pulled out kunai when the tip of the wand had reached Kakashi's throat, but after hearing Remus' reasons for doing so, the two men understood him perfectly. As battle hardened soldiers, they had seen more than one friend going down that road. But from the looks of it, Remus had never gotten any training like they did.

"Nothing to forgive, Remus. I know that way of thinking, truly, I do. If we can proceed? I promise I will do it more slowly this time."

The last thing was more said to his students than the man seeing how much they tensed up the instant the wand came into contact with Kakashi. Personally he didn't know why they were so frightened. It was just stick in his eye. Nevertheless, you can never be too careful with things you don't know about. Taking out two little notes of paper, he handed one of them to Remus, while explaining what was going to happen, the other man listened intently. Kakashi then transferred a little of his chakra to the paper in his hand and it crinkled instantly. Lupin frowned a little.

"So let me get this straight: If I'm lightning natured, it will crinkle; if fire it will burn, water getting soaked, earth it will crumble and if it is wind, it will be cut in two, correct?"

Kakashi nodded. "Correct. Most jounin level ninja like me can use more than one element, but it takes time learning to draw it out. But let's see what nature affinity you have, shall we?"

Kakashi was curious to say the least and Lupin could sense it. He himself was rather dubious about the paper but who was he to question it.

"Here goes."

Kakashi smiled. His curiosity about Lupin's chakra nature would soon be satisfied. But what happened next left him stunned. He felt Remus transferring chakra into the paper and saw its reaction. No matter what he had imagined, nothing could have prepared him for what happened. One fifth was cut off, another fifth got soaked, a third fifth crumbled, the fourth fifth burst into flames and last fifth crinkled.

Yamato was by Kakashi side the same instant. "Kakashi-senpai…"

Kakashi merely glanced at Yamato before returning his gaze towards Lupin who looked at him, seemingly waiting and confused. His voice was low so that only Yamato could hear him as Lupin had walked several feet backwards after drawing the wand incident.

"Yeah Tenzou, I know. According to that paper, Remus-san has access to all of the elements which is impossible for any human to have. Unless you are like Kakuzu which Lupin-san clearly isn't. Well, I have only one way of testing this. But you aren't going to like it. So prepare a water jutsu, a powerful one at that, will you?"

Ignoring Yamato's expression and stuttered protests, and hands in his pockets, Kakashi walked towards Remus and spoke in a cheerful voice.

"That was unexpected Remus-san. In fact, it was so unexpected that I don't know how to proceed. But I would like to see how strong your chakra is and how good you can control it. I want you to make those seals and then say: Fire Element; Great Fireball jutsu while facing me directly. If everything go well, the result will be something like this."

Making sure he did the hand seals slow enough for Remus to see them, Kakashi inhaled while gathering chakra in his mouth before exhaling. "Fire Element: Great Fireball jutsu!"

Remus watched in awe as Kakashi blew out a fireball twice the size of Kakashi himself before it disappeared on a spot 15-20 metres away from Kakashi. Said man gave a satisfied nod and turned to face Lupin again, hands once again in his pocket.

"You turn."

'If all goes well, his fireball will be as big as mine if not greater. Fire techniques are the ones that require the strongest chakra with second best control. Lightning techniques require second strongest chakra and best control. Now, how will… what?!'

He felt an energy flare. A powerful and horrible energy that reminded him of when the Kyuubi attacked. But unfortunately, he couldn't pinpoint from where. But he soon got other things to think about as the fireball Remus blew at him transformed.

---

Remus had completed making the seals and spoke with a high clear voice. "Fire Element: Great Fireball jutsu!"

However, just as he exhaled the gathered chakra, Moony took action, adding his own energy and wish to kill Kakashi into the mix. The effect was instantaneous as the fireball, around the same size as Kakashi's, turned into a roaring wolf of fire as it sped off towards Kakashi.

---

Kakashi stared in fascination as the fireball changed into a blazing wolf. It was, in his opinion, beautiful. But before he had time to admire the glowing eyes and teeth, the wolf charged and Kakashi realized that he might not be standing the most ideal place. Bidding his time, Kakashi leapt out of the fire wolf's way and into the air. But Kakashi was in for another surprise. Instead of exploding upon impact like a normal technique would, the wolf gave chase and Kakashi was reminded of the roaring face of the Kyuubi. Twice he avoided the wolf's blazing fangs, but when he landed the second time, his left foot got stuck in small hole in the ground. Staring wide-eyed at the wolf closing in, he began forming seals for a water jutsu. But just before he could execute it, and just before the wolf closed its jaws around him, a dragon made of water soared through the air and smashed the wolf to the ground. Glancing around, Kakashi saw Yamato holding his hands in the seal of the bird, sweat running down his face, as he kept the dragon quenching the wolf. But the wolf apparently wasn't going to go out without a fight, despite being made of the weaker element of the two. It took almost one minute to quench the flames. When Kakashi was certain the fire wolf was down, he stared at Remus who had sunken to his knees, panting slightly. And then it happened. Kakashi met Remus' eyes.

One black-grey stared into two amber shining eyes. But what he didn't expect was the mix of emotions he could read in those orbs. Burning fury, hate, frustration and regret. But in the next moment, they only showed confusion and shock. Kakashi shook his head in disbelief.

'I must be imagining things. If I didn't know any better, I would say he tried to kill me. But it was an interesting technique to say the least. Too bad I didn't have my Sharingan uncovered. A jutsu like that could prove quite useful in the future.'

Standing up and brushing the dirt of his pants, Kakashi eye-smiled at Remus. "Well, that certainly was interesting. I don't know how you did it, but it seems to me you created your very own jutsu. A little more chakra and effort into the mix and you might have stood a chance for killing me if you were an enemy. Well done."

Remus gave Kakashi a forced smile, but he felt more than heard Moony's furious snarl. '_You got some nerve, grey hair! Mocking me for my failure, are you?! _ _You… ha… ha-ha…ahahaha!_'

Lupin thought for a moment Moony had lost it. But Moony's next words send a shiver down Remus spine. '_I underestimated you this time, grey hair. But it won't happen again. Next time, I will get you. And I already know how. Oh yes, I will get to you, grey hair. And it will be sooner than you know._'

Remus shuddered. An enraged Moony was dangerous, but a calm Moony was deadly. And time was running out. Four days before the full moon, and he had yet to tell them his secret. As he stood up, he noticed the stares he was receiving from Naruto and Sakura. He could tell they were suspicious of him after what happened. Not that he would blame them or anything. This incident reminded him all too clearly of something that happened 18 years ago. It was after that he had decided to lock away the wolf within him.

-Flashback (sort of) start-

It had been the summer of 1980. Remus was as poor as ever since no one wanted to employ a werewolf during a time with Voldemort on the move. But even so, he was happy. He was living together with his wife, Melissa Lupin, former Allison, and their three-year-old twins, Marc and Susie Lupin.

Remus and Melissa met each other at Hogwarts during their fifth year. He was a Gryffindor, she was a Ravenclaw. During their sixth year they got the hots for each other and seventh year they became an item, despite Melissa knowing Remus being a werewolf. They married one month after graduation and on December 25 1977, Melissa gave birth to their children.

But on the night of July 31 1980, everything changed. He came home that night, exhausted after a long mission for the Order, but happy. His friend James Potter had become a father himself and Remus couldn't wait to bring the good news to his wife knowing how close Lily and Melissa had been. But he had been in for a horrible sight:

His children hanging from their swings, their usual cheerful brown eyes wide open without seeing. Both of them had clearly been pulled out of their beds since they were wearing their pink and blue pyjamas. Marc had brown eyes and hair, resembling his father and was tall for his age. Susie was the spitting image of her mother. Long curly black hair with brown eyes and a kind smile. He remembered looking for his wife, but when he saw her, he wished he hadn't. She was dangling from the window of their bedroom on first floor, frantically trying to get the robe around her neck loose so she could breathe.

Flames were roaring, smoke belching from his and Melissa's bedroom and the nursery on first floor and the lightning above him illuminated the sky alongside the Dark Mark. The ground floor too was aflame. It had he had seen them. Death Eaters. Seven of them, standing in front of the house. Or rather: Six Death Eaters and Voldemort himself. All of them laughing hysterically

After having witnessed the horrors the Death Eaters had inflicted on his family, he felt despair, grief, and panic, hollow inside. But when his eyes landed on the masked culprits, all of those emotions were replaced by untamed rage and blood thirst. He felt Moony's rage of having lost his cubs and mate like it was his own and he had come to a startling realization: Moony and he for once actually agreed on something. Both of them wanted those bastards dead. Allowing Moony's power flowing through him, Remus had begun duelling, without caring that he was outnumbered and outclassed by Voldemort, without caring if the spells he was going to use would be dark and forbidden, without caring his wife was still breathing.

The first one died before he could even mutter a curse. His screams had filled Remus' ears as a pack of burning wolves conjured by Remus from the fire in the living room devoured him, bit by bit. The second one had fallen victim to his own Killing Curse. More or less anyway. For just as the Killing Curse had been about to leave the Death Eater's wand, Remus and hit it with a well-aimed Reducto, causing the wand to explode, the Killing Curse thus backfiring. Number three was hit with an enhanced Cruciatis followed by a Killing Curse Remus had reflected. Usually, the Cruciatis left no trace of violence behind, but this had been different. He had heard almost every bone snap in the Death Eater and his screams before the Killing Curse hit him. The fourth one had been brave enough to get within the reach of Remus' hands. Bad move. Lupin had gotten a hold of the Death Eater and killed him in the good old fashioned Muggle way: Choking his victim to death.

It had been then Voldemort decided to join the fray. Not quite ready to die yet, Remus began duelling with Voldemort, and put up a good fight. But of course Voldemort had been the stronger of the two, hitting him repeatedly with the Cruciatis. It was when Remus was on the ground that Voldemort decided to kill him. But with strength he didn't knew he possessed, Lupin had deflected the Killing Curse and stood up.

Then, with his last strength, he poured all of hatred for Voldemort, sorrow, love for his family, anger and allowed Moony's full power in the mix. The result: A white and red sphere of energy of the size of a football was fired from his wand towards Voldemort and his two remaining followers. But as fate would have it, they Disapparated before the spell hit them. Instead it hit the house, blowing it to pieces. When the Order of the Phoenix appeared at dawn, they found Remus crying, his dead family in his arms, four dead Death Eaters and the smoking ruins of what used to be a house.

-End flashback-

Remus shuddered. It was after that he decided to lock away Moony. He was afraid of himself a long time after. He knew that Moony was dangerous and powerful, but the devastating powers he had unleashed upon the Death Eaters terrified him more than anything. He swore to himself that he would never allow something like that to happen again. It had turned out quite advantageous that time around, but what if he lost control of himself like that while among peers? He wouldn't allow it, no matter what kind of research he had to do.

Kakashi voice brought him out of his reminiscences. "Remus… are you alright?"

Remus glanced around. Apparently he had got the others worried. Forcing a smile on his lips, he turned his attention towards Kakashi again.

"Sorry about that. I was thinking about my home. What did you say?"

Kakashi sighed, slightly exasperated. 'Remus-san, you are more mysterious than the dark side of the moon.'

"I said that Hokage-sama wants to see us. She has a mission for us."

End chapter 5


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Yo. Sorry for not updating sooner. Have been down with a cold and I have been busy with looking after my nephews and niece when they visisted. To clear up some things: No, Remus won't get all five elements. The paper's reaction will be explained later on. Some characters might be OOC in this chapter (Out Of Character).

And thanks to all of reviewers, those who have subscribed the story to their alert list and have added me to your favourite author and story list. You're awesome!

Chapter 6: Words in the Night.

To say Remus was confused would be an understatement. And a big one at that. From what he could gather from the briefing given by Tsunade and a man named Jiraiya, a man named Orochimaru had been killed off by one Uchiha Sasuke. And from what Remus could tell this Sasuke was apparently a former teammate of Sakura and Naruto, the latter apparently seeing him as a brother. Sasuke was seemly the lone survivor from a massacre. Aside from his brother, Uchiha Itachi who was the one behind the slaughter that is.

The mission sounded simple enough: Track down either of the Uchiha, restrain them, and bring them back to the village. But from the looks of people involved, Remus had a feeling that it would be a bit more complicated than that.

He could count a total of nine, ten if including a huge white dog: Kakashi, Yamato, Naruto, Sakura, Sai, a boy with a jacket that seemed way too big for him named Shino, the white eyed girl called Hinata, a weird boy with tattoos on his cheeks named Kiba with his hound Akamaru and Lupin himself.

Lupin shook his head as ran alongside the ninjas through the forest. '_This is just wrong. No matter what they say, they are still children. Why on Earth would that lady and Kakashi allow children on such a mission?_'

He remembered clearly the many reactions he gotten from the ninjas when he brought up the subject of their age up. Naruto and Kiba were outraged and started shouting, Sai and Shino looked indifferent, Sakura remained silent, but Lupin had seen her narrow her eyes and clench her fists in indignation, Akamaru had barked while the adults looked bitter and amused. A little while later, Remus was horrified to learn that some of the adult had been fighting in wars before they became teenagers.

But he had to admit, they certainly seemed to know what they were doing. Unlike three very stubborn teenagers he knew back home. Three teenagers who had set out on a quest that no one their age should have done. Lupin stopped in his tracks, regret and guilt gnawing on his insides. In the past few days he had spend in this world, he had barely thought of Harry and his friends. And, much to Remus' horror and guilt, Teddy or Tonks. Although he knew it was no excuse, he had simply been too busy dealing with the training and Moony.

'_Oh, thinking about our second mate, eh Remus? Thinking about our youngest cub, are we?_'

Remus groaned internally, but felt sorrow and anger building nonetheless. '_Don't temper me, wolf. Melissa and Nymphadora weren't your mates. Marc, Susie and Teddy weren't your cubs. They were my wives and children. Mine, not yours!_'

Moony just growled, clearly disagreeing but otherwise remained silent. He wanted to save strength for now. Remus sighed and glanced up into the night sky. For two days they had been travelling, and he had yet to tell them his secret. Despite him being a Gryffindor, his courage failed him every time he tried talking about it. He could just see it.

'Hey guys, I need to tell you something: I'm a werewolf and in two nights time, I transform into a bloodthirsty monster for a couple of nights. Oh, and while transformed, my favourite food is human flesh. But nothing to worry about.'

Even in his ears, it sounded ridiculous. Besides, did they even know what a werewolf is? And if they did, what would their reaction be?

'_Most likely like the rest of the normal community: Despise me and want to kill me on the spot. They would turn their backs on me. The chances of them understanding me are below zero. Besides: What Moony told me about Naruto could very well be a lie._'

His emotions must have been showing, for in the next moment he felt a hand on his shoulders. Following its arm, he came face to face with the masked face of a concerned Kakashi.

"Remus-san, are you alright?"

Lupin forced a smile. "Just tired, that's all. I'm not so fit as you are."

Kakashi nodded. He knew Remus was lying, but he knew from experience that if you tried pushing people to tell you what is wrong, you were likely to get a punch or kunai in the face for your efforts. So far he had been fast enough to duck from such, but considering how fast Remus had been to pull out that stick, Kakashi thought it would be safer not to risk testing how fast Lupin could pull a kunai. And if Remus was just about half as fast at throwing kunai as he was to draw what Kakashi now remembered to be a wand, Kakashi found himself doubting Minato and Jiraiya would have been able to dodge them. Chuckling inwardly, Kakashi remembered how he had tried hitting Minato and Jiraiya with kunai after his father's suicide because they wouldn't leave him alone. And similar incidents followed with Obito and Gai. And while he didn't appreciate their gestures back then, he was glad they did now. Otherwise he would have lost his sanity. Shaking his head to clear his mind from such thoughts, Kakashi shifted his attention to the rest of the team.

"We will set up camp here for the night. Yamato, if you would?"

Yamato nodded his understanding, although grudgingly. "Hai, Kakashi-senpai. Wood Element: Four Pillars House jutsu!"

Remus, alongside Team 8 gaped stupidly as a house rose from the ground, while Naruto and Sakura cheered loudly as the house was almost identical to the house they camped during their first mission with Yamato. Instead of going through a door on ground floor, you walked up a stair and entered through a door on first floor. Sai seemed indifferent while. When asked, Kakashi answered it was for safety reasons before smiling at Yamato who returned the gesture with a scowl. As the teenagers and hound found their respective rooms, marked Team 8 and Team Kakashi, the old people as Naruto eloquently labelled them as, stayed outside. Kakashi turned to Remus, his eye crinkling.

"So Remus-san, what do you think about this mission? And your clothes?"

Remus couldn't help but smiling softly. "The clothes are fine. They are quite practical and fitting if I dare say so myself."

In order not to make Lupin stand out too much, they had found a chuunin/jounin uniform with equipment. Kunai holster and kunai, bags with shuriken, scrolls, wire, a couple of smoke and flash bombs, vest and headband. But even so, Lupin was happy that his wand was in his old wrist older for a quick draw. The weapons were still a bit too much for him and he trusted his skill with his wand more than his luck and small skills with kunai and shuriken. Besides, he didn't like the idea of having to use them at all.

'_You are too soft, Remus. Too weak. You won't survive in this world with that line of thinking. But let me loose again, and people will soon learn not to underestimate us._'

Remus snorted mentally. '_And let you kill everybody on your way? I don't think so._'

Moony let out a little sigh, unheard by all but Remus. '_Have it your way. At least I can entertain myself with some gifts I'm sending Kakashi._'

Blocking out the wolf, Remus bid Yamato and Kakashi goodnight, forgetting to tell them what he thought about the mission. Frankly, to him it sounded pointless trying to convince this Uchiha Sasuke to come back to Konoha. He supposed it was because there was more to the story than what Naruto and the others had told him since they left Konoha, but it sounded to Remus that this Sasuke had left the village quite willingly.

But what kinda freaked him out, was what he had heard about this Orochimaru that Sasuke had run to. In Lupin's ears, Orochimaru sounded awfully a lot like Voldemort when it came to personality, ideals and looks. If that was the case, Remus decided that any one who would willingly seek out such a guy deserved a punch and hex in the face. That thought firmly in place, Remus settled in for the night and soon fell into an uneasy sleep, Moony's smirking face flashing in his dreams.

___

Madara was losing his patience. Slowly, but surely. He had requested another meeting with his ally again since the man had the nerve not to take action after their last talk. And his ally had outdone himself this time. He had tried teleporting directly to him, but found that he couldn't. It was if some sort of barrier kept him out. And if that wasn't bad enough, he was now stuck in some sort of waiting room with one of his ally's insolent servants. Cloaked in long black robes and with hood and skeleton mask, Madara found the servant utterly ridiculous. But he knew not to underestimate the twig wielding fighters. He had learned that the hard two decades ago when a man named Voldemort came to this world together with one of his servants. Madara didn't remember the servant's name though.

But that didn't really help his growing impatience. However, it was quite clear that the servant was bored since he or she lazily played around with the stick.

'Not stick, wand.' Madara corrected himself with disgust.

In the next moment, a jet of red light hit the wall to the right of his head. Glaring at the offending servant, he could imagine the smirk behind the mask.

"My master will see you now."

Glaring slightly at the servant, Madara walked through the door the servant had guarded moments before. But much to his dismay, the servant followed him through the corridors until they came to a heavy door made of oak. The servant seemed to glance at Madara before knocking twice.

It was answered with a voice that seemed to be hissing. "Enter."

Giving him another sceptical look from behind the mask, the servant opened the door and held it open for Madara to walk in. The room was lit with torches, except for the wall farthest from Madara. Near the far wall was a table and it was obvious a man sat in the chair in the shadows since Madara could see an unnatural white hand twirling a wand carelessly between his fingers. But his ally's face was hidden in the shadows.

The man stopped twirling the wand and spoke with an almost hissing voice as his follower closed the door.

"Ah, Madara. May I ask why you have requested this meeting?"

___  
Why Remus had decided to take a stroll in the middle of the night, he didn't know. But he couldn't sleep as Moony's whispers seemed to reach him in every dream and nightmare. So now, two in the morning, Remus found himself standing on the top of the stairs, feeling the wind in his face and stars twinkling. Glancing around, he spotted Naruto near the river flowing silently through the trees while Kakashi lay on the ground near the bottom of the stairs, sleeping peacefully. Deciding to talk with Naruto, Remus made his way down the stairs. without making a sound. But as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he glanced down at Kakashi, his brow furrowing. Kakashi's breathing was erratic and Lupin came to the conclusion he was having a nightmare. Looking around for Naruto, Remus saw the teenager starting a small campfire not far from them.

Deciding to help him by putting the other man under a sleeping spell, Remus pulled out his wand.

'_Hm, what to use, what to use…_'

'_You know the spell, Remus. Two simple words. Two simple words to call upon Death himself. Do it… and let us get rid of one of our problems. You know the spell, Remus._ _How often have you not seen and heard it? Even used it? You know the spell Remus… do it and be done with it._'

Remus more felt than saw himself pointing his wand at Kakashi. And just as he was about to utter the first syllable, he caught himself and instantly lowered his wand, cursing himself for giving in to the wolf within him.

'_You blasted creature from Hell! I won't do it! I won't kill Kakashi!_'

Moony growled his response. '_Fine, suit yourself. But I will!_ _I have had enough of playing games with him!_'

Before Remus could utter just one word of protest, Moony took action. Lupin's eyes went wide with horror as he realized he was once again raising his wand and pointing it at Kakashi. He instantly lowered it again. Or that is what he would have done if he could. In less than a second Remus realized what had happened: Moony had somehow forced his way into the deeper parts of his mind and taken control of his body! Fighting in vain to regain control of his body, Remus felt like he was watching a movie with himself being one of the actors before he felt his lips move on Moony's bidding.

"_Avada…_"

___

Madara glared at the man opposite him, beginning to regret he made the deal in the first place. Repressing his fury, he spoke again.

"So what you're saying is that I have to trust you when you say you will uphold your part of the deal, despite there being changes in the plan?"

His ally chuckled and Madara noticed with slight contempt how a black snake slithered around the man's left arm while he stroke it gently with his right hand.

"Exactly."

Madara sighed. "Fine. As long as I get the brat."

For the first time during this meeting, his ally seemed to turn serious. And Madara could trace a hint of curiosity in his ally's voice.

"If I may ask: Why? Why are you so interested in the Hatake boy?"

Madara stood and walked towards the door. "It's none of your business."

Just as he reached the door, a voice rang out through the room "_Crucio!_"

Despite the warning, Madara had barely time to make his body incorporeal. But even as the curse flew through him, he still felt an ounce of pain in his chest. However, aside from a barely noticeable halt in his steps, he continued down the corridor.

'I should never have made that deal with him. This is getting out of hand.'

If there was something Madara hated, it was when things didn't go as planned. And even worse was it when it got out of his hands so he couldn't do some damage control. Yep, he definitely regretted making a deal with that man.

___

Kakashi ran as fast as his legs could carry him, towards a battle he had never experienced before and was likely to never experience again. Either because it was probably only going to happen once in a lifetime or because he would die considering how the odds were against them. The Kyuubi appearing more or less on their doorstep had been quite a shock for the inhabitants of Konoha, civilian and ninja alike. As Kakashi ran with a blond baby bundled up in blankets, he wondered how many of his friends had already fallen. Shaking his head to get rid of those thoughts, he spotted three figures standing on top of the main gate. All of them well known to Kakashi and by the world:

Jiraiya the Toad Sannin, Hiruzen Sarutobi the Professor and Third Hokage of Konoha, and last but not least, Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage and Yellow Flash of Konoha. He admired them all for their strength, but also for their kindness. But the teenager and ANBU was brought out of his thoughts by another roar, this time closer.

"Hokage-sama, your son, as requested.

Minato smiled, although it was forced. "Kakashi-kun, please drop the formalities."

Kakashi just nodded. "All right Minato-sensei."

Minato groaned before growing serious. "Kakashi-kun, I… I don't quite know how to tell you this. The Kyuubi too strong for us too fight. We have one shot at surviving this. We will have to seal it away. We will have to make a Jinchuuriki. Kakashi-kun, I know it will be much to ask of you, but I need you to distract the Kyuubi while I prepare for the sealing."

Kakashi stared at his sensei before shifting his attention to the Third and Jiraiya. It was only then he realized Jiraiya's left arm seemed to be broken. And the Third Hokage was no brainer to figure out why the Third needed to survive. It wouldn't do the village any good if it lost both Hokages. And Kakashi had a feeling he knew what kind sealing Minato had in mind. And he didn't like it one bit. Glancing down at the child in his arms, he quickly put two and two together, a deep frown forming. Locking eyes with Minato, Kakashi spoke in a low whisper.

"So you will turn your own son into a Jinchuuriki, Minato-sensei? You will turn him into something to that will be looked upon as a thing, a weapon? You will turn him into something that will be shunned and hated, even among his own people?"

Minato sighed. "It is my wish he shall be seen as the hero who saved the village from a terrible beast."

Kakashi just stared at Minato as if he had grown another head. Sighing, Kakashi turned to Jiraiya. "Jiraiya-sama, will you do me a favour?"

Jiraiya looked quite astonished that Kakashi called him Jiraiya and not some other rude things as he did when Sakumo lived. "Sure, Brat. If you think I can help you with anything in this condition."

Kakashi just nodded. "You can. Could you please hold Naru-kun for me?"

Looking puzzled, Jiraiya held out his good arm and Kakashi carefully placed Naruto with the Sannin. Then he turned to Minato. And before anybody knew what happened, Kakashi was giving Minato a hug. And after a couple of seconds where Minato looked like a fish out of water, he returned it. After ten seconds, Kakashi locked eyes with Minato once again.

"My apologies, sensei."

Minato smiled sadly. "No need for apologize for being human, Kakashi."

Kakashi shook his head. "I wasn't apologizing for that, sensei. I'm apologizing for what I'm about to do."

The three older sninobi glanced at each other in confusion before their eyes settled on Kakashi. Minato voiced the question the three of them were wondering.

"And what is that, Kakashi-kun?"

"This."

SMACK!

Kakashi's fist made contact with Minato's face, causing the blond Hokage to fall on his rear. Minato stared at Kakashi, an utterly gobsmacked expression adorning his face.

"Kakashi-kun, wha…?"

Kakashi was seething with rage. "That was for you being naïve, Hokage-sama! Do you really think the villagers will see Naruto as a hero when they know the Kyuubi is sealed inside him? They will shun and hate him! Sensei, despite you being a genius, you're incredible stupid when it comes to understanding how the human mind works! They see what they expect to see, which is the Demon Fox! Just like they saw me as a failure because my father failed!"

Kakashi took a few calming breaths before walking past the three older sninobi so he was standing outside the gate, facing the direction of the battle.

"Sensei. When we became Team 7 with you as our jounin-sensei, you asked us about our dreams. I told you that dreams were not something I bothered with because they are unnecessary. You told me that dreams are what makes us human and everybody has dreams. And you asked me every day from the age of nine to thirteen if I had found out what my dream was.

He took another breath. "Now I know what my dream is: Twelve years from now, if I'm still around then, I want to be Naruto-kun's sensei. I want to see him running home to you, crying and wailing to you about how unfair and harsh I'm being. And I want you to come running through the streets, yelling that you will kill me and give a desk job for being mean to Naruto-kun. That is my dream."

Sighing, Kakashi spoke again. "I once said I wish to fight you for real and I would beat you when that day comes. You said you were looking forward to it and promised me a fight without holding back. I intend to hold you on that promise, Minato-sensei. I will see you when this is over. Be safe."

With that Kakashi took off, a single tear leaking from the Sharingan. He, however, picked up on two voices. The first was Minato's.

"He finally has a dream. This punch in the face is the first I have ever cherished. Although… aw… it hurts like hell. Kakashi sure packs a punch. And he packs them hard. Aw! I think he almost broke my nose there!"

At this Kakashi heard Jiraiya snort. "Serves you right. I'm just unhappy I didn't get the honours of punching you."

The scene of Kakashi's nightmare changed. He also knew this part too well. He stood in his adult body, looking at his younger self trying to shake some life into Minato's body, massive amounts of smoke and fire surrounding them giving the scene an ominous atmosphere.

'Wait… smoke? Fire? This can't be right… I was the first on the scene, but… I didn't find Minato-sensei until noon the next day, and by then both fire and smoke had subsided if it wasn't completely gone by then. So why…'

Kakashi looked up in alarm as he heard a low growl. A couple of shining amber eyes slowly made their way through the smoke. Just as the new threat was about to emerge from the smoke, Kakashi made eye contact with it and…

___  
"_… Kedavr…_"

"Oi, poking Kakashi-sensei with a stick won't be enough to wake him! But this will!"

Before Moony could force Remus to finish the incantation, Naruto gave him a slight push as he emptied a bucket of water in Kakashi's face. As Kakashi woke with a yell and Naruto ran to the fire laughing, Remus realized that the push had broken Moony's control. He quickly lowered his wand as Kakashi sat up, sputtering and cursing through his wet mask.

"Wha.. Who… What the Hell?!"

Eyeing Remus' wand, Kakashi looked around before settling his eye on the still snickering Naruto near the campfire, a bucket right beside him. Staring at Naruto for one minute, he locked eyes with Lupin.

"I assume you was about to wake me up by poking me with that stick when Naruto thought it funny to empty a bucket of water on me?"

Remus gave slight smile. "Yeah. He believed it would be more effective. Here, let me fix that."

With one flick of his wrist, Kakashi found his mask instantly dry. Still grumbling slightly, Kakashi got on his feet.

"Thanks for fixing my mask. Although I like effective things, I think I would rather have you poking me with that stick than getting water dumped in my face."

Remus gave him another weak smile before his wand disappeared up into his sleeve. As he and Kakashi walked over to Naruto, Kakashi looking like he wanted to strangle the blond, Lupin heard Moony's furious growl in his mind.

'_SO CLOSE! DAMN THAT BRAT! ALL OF MY PATIENT EFFORT WASTED BECAUSE OF A STUPID PRANK! GRR! I'M GOING TO RIP HIM INTO PIECES!_'

Remus couldn't help but smirk. If Moony was this furious, it meant Moony had lost a lot of energy and probably wouldn't be able to pull such a stunt for the next couple of days. But it still was unsettling how easily Moony took control. Deciding on telling them the truth and about Moony the next day, he bid them goodnight and left for the house, listening to the fire cracking merrily. A bit too loud for his comfort, but nothing too serious.

---

Kakashi glanced after Lupin as he made his way up the stairs, Naruto rubbing his head where Kakashi had hit him for pulling that stupid trick. The threat in his dream had been just about to show himself when Naruto had decided it would be fun splashing him with water. Kakashi had figured out, even if it was in his sleep, that someone was toying with his nightmares and memories. And he didn't like it one bit. And he had a feeling those amber eyes belonged to the one messing with him which led him to believe it had been a slip-up on the enemy's part. Whoever he was. And it was kinda disturbing that Lupin had gotten so close to him and spoken out loud without him noticing. Naruto had, but when asked about what Lupin had said, he got a negative answer. Apparently Lupin had once again spoken in his native tongue.

'Most likely debating how many pokes it would take to wake me up.'

Kakashi groaned as the fire made a very loud crack.

'Minato-sensei, why on Earth did you have to keep most of your genius to yourself? Now I'm cursed to be saddled with your knuckleheaded son.'

Kakashi had barely thought the last word before he heard something amiss near the house. Quickly turning his head in said direction, he saw Lupin on top of the stairs, wand drawn and pointing it directly it in the direction of him and Naruto, shouting something Kakashi didn't understand.

"_AVADA KEDAVRA!_"

End chapter 6

____

AN: Hope it wasn't too long. It took me really long time to get the setting in order, so I hope it turned out alright. Please leave a review, good and bad, and let me know where I can improve.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Finding the Key 

"_AVADA KEDAVRA_!"

"_LEVICORPUS_!"

The next thing Kakashi knew, he was dangling upside down in midair in his ankles, and he saw a jet of green light hit the spot he had been sitting only seconds prior. He was, however, dropped unceremoniously to the ground but he landed in a crouching position thanks to his agility. Glancing around, he saw Naruto had leapt on his feet with kunai in hand, glaring in the opposite direction of the house. But just as he was about to throw the kunai, Naruto took a beam of red light in the face, sending the kunai away and Naruto sprawling backwards before smashing into the house.

"Naruto!"

"He is alright… Kakashi, look out!"

Kakashi spun on his heels, just in time to see and dodge a jet of green light from the tree line. 'Whatever that green light is, I think I better stay clear of its way.'

Kakashi was, to say the least, utterly perplexed. He sure as hell didn't know what that green light was, ergo he better stay out of its way since Remus seemed concerned about it. And unless Kakashi was mistaken, that jet of green light had come from the same place as the last. Ducking another jet of green light, Kakashi suddenly felt himself side by side with Remus, just as the latter blocked a red jet with his wand. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Naruto slowly getting on his feet, rubbing his head as the others hurried down the stairs, weapons drawn. Uncovering his Sharingan, Kakashi quickly scanned the tree line.

"Remus-san, would you please explain to me what those beams of light were? You seem to know about them, if your reactions are anything to go by."

Remus nodded, wand held high and eyes looking warily around. "What Naruto was hit with was the Disarming charm from my world. And those green jets were…"

"The Killing Curse. I see your reflexes are as great as ever, Lupin. If you hadn't cast that charm, _levicorpus_,I would have gotten my target, Kakashi Hatake."

As the distorted voice stopped speaking, its owner stopped out from the shadows the trees provided. It was the most eccentric clothing the shinobi had set eyes on. All dressed up in black cloaks with matching hood and a skeleton mask, the shinobi found this opponent utterly ridiculous. Kiba and Naruto laughed outright, Naruto despite having taken an attack in the face. Sai just raised an eyebrow, fingering his tanto on his back while Shino looked indifferent. Hinata stared wide-eyed at the stranger while Sakura's mouth twitched as she suppressed a smirk. Yamato looked doubtful, glancing at Kakashi and Remus. Kakashi seemed to take in every detail of the assailant while Lupin was rather tense, as if waiting for something.

"_Monster._"

"_Death Eater._"

"_Stupefy_!"

"_Protego!_"

The shinobi stared in unmasked surprise as the red beam of light from the masked attacker's wand rebounded from an energy shield Lupin had formed with a flick with his wand. Both had now their wands trained on the other, neither moving an inch. Deciding now would be good time, Yamato spoke up.

"I don't know who you are or what you want, but you got some nerve to attack us like that. Even though eight of us don't understand the powers you and Remus-san seems to wield, you're still outnumbered. It would be wisest to give up now."

At this the Death Eater just laughed. "That isn't an option. My Master doesn't easily forgive failures. Besides… you didn't think I would come here without an ace up the sleeve, did you?"

Just as the Death Eater stopped talking, twelve men with armour and black swords and cloak stepped out from the tree line, swords levelled at the Konoha shinobi, causing them to curse lightly. The Death laughed again.

"I think it would be wise for you to follow your own advice and give up. You are the ones who are outnumbered. By the way, _werewolf_, how is your wife?"

Kakashi just glared. "Numbers alone doesn't win a battle. Teamwork does. Yamato, Sai, Naruto…"

"Kakashi! With all due respect… I would like to fight the Death Eater, the first attacker, alone. I know how to fight them and what to look out for when dealing with them. And this… just became personal."

Kakashi glanced at Remus. His entire demeanour had changed in the blink of an eye. There was no longer any trace of kindness in his voice or eyes. Instead his voice had been hard as steel and the air around him seemed to have dropped several of degrees. Add to that, but Kakashi was sure he had seen Remus' eyes glowing amber and thought for a moment Remus had gotten some characteristics that matched that of a wolf. But before Kakashi could utter a word of protest, the Death Eater laughed.

"So you want to fight me alone, _werewolf_? Sure, why not?" The Death Eater got into a duelling position. "_Come. Avada Kedavra_!"

"_Stupefy_! _Reducto_!"

The shinobi watched in slight awe how the two first jets of light collided before flying of in different directions and how the last of Remus' reduced a large boulder behind the Death Eater to pebbles. But if they had looked surprised, it nothing when both Remus and the Death Eater turned into some kind of smoke, Remus being white and the Death Eater black, before they took off, gliding up and round the trees as if they were snakes as they glided round the clearing with decent speed. Not so fast that the jounins couldn't keep up if they wanted, but enough to make the younger ones slightly dizzy. Especially with the dazzling lights that occasionally erupted from the fighters' wands. But the shinobi soon got other things to think about as the men who had come with the Death Eater attacked.

----

To say Remus was shocked would be an understatement. He had thought he was the only one of his kind around in this world. And yet here he was, battling a Death Eater. And a skilled one at that. So far the Death Eater had evaded every jinx and curse Remus had used while Remus had nearly been hit with a couple of Stunners and one Killer.

'_Moony, unless you want to end as a carpet on a floor, now would be a good time to help._'

Moony growled angrily. '_I can't, you blasted human. Battling your stubborn mind for control over this body took almost all of my energy. It wasn't easy when I on the same time had a little fun with that nosy grey hair's mind. I had to do both things gradually. Unfortunately I wasn't able to able to find out what I wanted or do something serious when the grey hair is concerned. But since I have used most of my energy, I can't help you. You are on you own this time around, human. Don't get us both killed._'

Glancing into the clearing, Remus saw that shinobi was losing ground. Slowly, but surely. The men destroyed Naruto's clones almost as fast as he produced them. Remus was sure his mouth had hit the ground below him when Naruto had created twenty clones in one go. It was also pretty impressive how both Kiba and his dog could spin so fast in midair, Sai producing lion like creatures from a scroll. Yamato and Kakashi were both fighting two opponents, their ANBU training kicking in as both seemed use their weapons more creative than the others. Kakashi had, unless Remus was going blind, bound his arsenal of kunai and shuriken into some sort of sharp whip while Yamato had made a spiked club. But where the wood to it came from was something Remus didn't dwell on.

But he still stopped on a tree branch when he saw Hinata taking a kick to her face, causing her to fly through the house wall. But he was in for another shock, quickly forgetting everything about attacking the culprit. Sakura had apparently decided she wanted to play some baseball. The balls were her opponents. Her bat: A tree. Remus was sure he was gaping like an idiot when he saw Sakura pull up a tree with roots with her fists before smashing the one who kicked Hinata with a well aimed vertical slash. Afterwards she used the tree to hurl her own opponent through the air, causing his cloak to fall off.

Remus' face contorted in disgust as the smell of rotten and burned flesh bombarded his sensitive nose.

'Hold on… that's right! I didn't pick up their scents before now! But that must mean...'

"_You don't have time for looking the other way, werewolf! Crucio!_"

Remus let out a small scream of agony as the Death Eater's curse got him straight in the chest, sending him off the branch and towards the ground. He hit the ground with a heavy thud. Letting out a loud groan of pain, he glared up at the Death Eater a couple of trees away, laughing gleefully.

'Think that was funny, huh? Then I better repay the favour_._'

Remus send a Body-Bind curse at the Death Eater, who laughed and side-stepped the curse. Bad move. Remus smirked slightly as he undid the rope on one of their traps by pointing at it with his hand, causing a medium sized branch to clip the Death Eater on the ear, sending the Death Eater to the ground. But much to Remus' shock, the Death flipped in midair and landed safely before sending another Cruciatus at Lupin who managed putting up a weak shield that took the brunt of the Curse. Albeit slower this time, Lupin was soon engaged in duel again, bombarding the Death Eater with jinxes and curses while staying clear of the volley his opponent sent his way. But he noticed with small satisfaction that branch had damaged the mask.

---

Kakashi cursed as he dodged another blow from one of the attackers. The fact he hadn't heard, smelled or just sensed them set him off. And his growing frustration was not abated by the fact that Sakura had taken down Hinata's opponent and damaged her own or him having chopped off the head of one his opponents with his made-on-the-spot whip.

'Add to that that those goons are still going strong. Their attacks are still as fast as when we began and equally powerful. There is something fishy going on here. Whoa!'

His remaining opponent's sword had suddenly flames dancing along the blade and he barely managed to duck the attack. Unfortunately, he was disarmed in the progress and the tips of his hair singed slightly. Growling, he charged his Raikiri and in the next moment, pierced his opponent's chest where the heart was located. The next thing Kakashi knew, he was flying through the air and over the railing as the one he just thought he had killed backhanded him. Standing up and shaking his head, he took the quick, yet slightly painful break to see how the others were faring. Team 8 were pretty much out cold, Shino being the exception as he seemed to hold two attackers at bay with his insects.

Yamato was clobbering one of his opponents while the other had lost his head and arms as Yamato had planted a couple of explosive tags on him.

Sai and Naruto was, amazingly enough, working as a team. Naruto fought the attackers with his Shadow Clones with Sai covering his back from the air.

Venturing a glance in the direction of the two duellists, he barely dodged a stray jet of red light. Deciding now would be a good time as any, Kakashi jumped into the fray once more, just as another curse from the Death Eater hit the house, instantly setting it ablaze.

---

Remus let out a scream of fury as the Death Eater's curse set the house aflame. 'This has gone on long enough. Time to end this!'

That thought firmly in mind, Remus pulled back his wand as one would with an arrow, summoning as much energy as he could before jabbing it forward with a yell.

"_Torden_!"

The power of the spell sent the Death Eater flying backwards and out of sight as the sound of a peal of thunder hit the shield. Ignoring his aching muscles, Remus took off towards the now burning house, hitting one of the attackers in the face with a Stunner. But he got a shock as he came side to side with the one he had just hit. Before Remus knew what was going on, he was flying through the air, all oxygen knocked out of him by a kick to the chest. Even with his vision having black spots, he saw several of the armoured men run away in the direction the Death Eater was sent flying.

Groaning as he stood up, Remus saw Shino and Sai bring out Hinata from the burning house, Yamato checking up on Kiba while Kakashi was giving out orders.

"Naruto! Use your Shadow Clones to scout the area. Those guys might be in the neighbourhood and attack us again. Do not engage in combat. Sakura: Tend to Hinata first, then Kiba and Akamaru. The rest of us will manage."

Seeing Remus walking towards him with unsteady steps, Kakashi was by his side immediately, supporting him.

"Are you alright, Remus-san?"

Remus winced with each step he took. "I have been better. I think I have sprained my ankle. No worries though, I recover fast. But… I think you better get on my right side. My left shoulder hurts."

Kakashi quickly got to the right side, eyeing the wand dangling loosely from Remus' hand with concealed awe and worry. 'To think such a stick could be so dangerous. I suppose there are more than meets the eye about Remus-san. But the one he fought worries me. Speaking of which…'

"Remus-san, how did you know that Death… Ea?"

"Death Eater."

"Death Eater. How did you know he or she was there? We shinobi are trained in sensing enemies. Our sense of smell and hearing are higher than average humans and we can sense what we call chakra signatures. Some people are capable of masking and suppressing their chakra but most shinobi with more experience than a chuunin will still sense an enemy. The fact that we didn't sense them coming at all is a bit disturbing. So did you get some training more advanced than us since you picked up on this Death Eater and we didn't?"

Remus let out a weary sigh. "No, I haven't undergone training like that at all. I only picked up on impending danger because his or her timing slipped. I guess he, or she, Apparated every time the fire crackled a bit in order to cover the noise. Moments before the Killing Curse was fired at you, I heard the fire giving a crack that was just a bit too long. When I turned around on the stairs, I saw a wand tip going down and I had to think fast.

Glancing around, Lupin took a deep breath before exhaling.

"As for you not being able to smell them… I think it has something to do with their cloaks. One of them lost their cloaks and I was bombarded with smells that was rather unpleasant."

Kakashi swore under his breath. "Damnit. When the ones who could still fight took off, they took their friends with them. Nothing was left behind. Not even their swords."

As Remus was about to reply, he fell to his knees with a scream, his left shoulder feeling as if it was on fire. Kakashi was in business mode instantly.

"Sakura! We need some help over here!"

Sakura was by their side instantly, gently helping Remus sitting down so he could rest against a rock. "Where does it hurt, Remus-san?"

Lupin ground his teeth in pain. "Left shoulder. On fire." As Sakura was about to make preparations for getting Remus out of his shirt, Remus gave a strained flick with his wand, making his left sleeve rip itself off. Sakura gasped when she took in the damage.

"Remus-san, you have been fighting with a dislocated shoulder."

Lupin bit back a cry of pain when he shrugged. "I suppose it was because of the adrenaline. At some point I took a powerful curse to the chest and I was knocked down from a branch. I guess I landed the wrong way. How are the others?"

Not sure whether she believed him or not, Sakura took a deep breath. "They will be fine. In either case, we need to put it back in place. Kakashi-sensei, would you please hold him still? Remus-san, this is going to hurt. Are you ready?"

Trying to smile, but ending up with grimacing in pain, Remus nodded. It barely took five second from Sakura took a hold and to the shoulder was back in its socket, but that didn't prevent Remus from letting out a scream of pain and he unknowingly dropped his wand to the ground.

'Bloody… one would think that after years of having your bones and muscles change and relocate themselves a couple of times during the month, you would get used to something like this. But I suppose that would be too much to ask.'

In that moment Naruto came bounding back from his scouting. Kakashi nodded at Naruto, silently telling him to relay his report. Getting his breath back, Naruto spoke.

"They have hightailed, Kakashi-sensei. No sign of them in 2 miles radius in all directions from here."

Remus frowned and he slowly stood up, his wand forgotten. "Are you sure? No signs of the Death Eater?"

Naruto was confused. "Death Eater?"

"The one I was fighting." Remus pointed to the northwest. "My last spell sent him or her flying in that direction."

Realization dawned on Naruto's face. "No, I didn't find any person that way. But… I found this, about fifteen feet from the clearing."

Remus swore mentally as Naruto held out a green scroll. 'Damn. That means the Death Eater is still out there.'

'_I told you that you are too soft, Remus. You need to drop your morals and be prepared to kill in this world._'

Ignoring his inner wolf's comment, he snapped back to attention as Naruto began reading from the scroll. Lupin was on Naruto's right while Kakashi was on the left of the boy.

"Shinobi of Konoha: If you read this, it means you have beaten my servants and they have failed a simple mission. I will have to punish them for that. And then I will come after you in person. It seems that if you want something done, you have to do it yourself. 

Yours sincerely, 

Portus."

Remus' eyes went wide when the last word was spoken and signs appeared on the scroll, making it glow bright blue. 'This is a...!!'

"NARUTO, MOVE!"

Kakashi and Lupin reacted on the same time, mimicking each others' movement. One hand grapping one of Naruto's shoulders and yanking him backwards while the other hand took a hold of the scroll, intending to throw the scroll away. Unfortunately, they only got to yanking Naruto backwards and they still had a firm hold on Naruto as the two men felt a strong pull somewhere behind their navels, dragging Naruto with them.

It was only then Remus realized he no longer had his wand on him.

'Death Eaters… portkeys… what is going on?! And I don't have my wand! How can this get any worse?!'

Naruto could only think two things at the moment. 'What the hell is going on here?!' and 'I think I'm going to be sick!'

Kakashi sighed inwardly. 'And that was that vacation. Why can things never be easy, just for once?'

In one moment Naruto, Kakashi and Remus were standing there, the next they were gone, leaving behind stunned teammates as they were swept away to an unknown destination.

End chapter 7


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks to all of those who have reviewed so far. And also to the guys/girls who have put me me on favourite stories and author. And to those who have an alert on this story. All of you guys and girls make me want to keep writing. Here is the next chapter. Enjoy :)

Chapter 8: Hosts

When Kakashi came around again, he found himself in a situation and position he was all too familiar with. Chained to a cold and annoyingly damp stone wall with his hand in manacles, stripped off his jounin vest and other ninja gear. Dizzy and with his vision still blurry, Kakashi looked around, trying to make out his surroundings. Usually, he could get a rough hint of where he was being held prisoner from the style and environment in the cells. But as it was, he was too groggy to focus properly.

'Well, at least my mask is still in place.'

He had barely thought it before he felt a terrible itch around his neck. It didn't take long for him to realize it was a collar that both blocked and siphoned away some of his chakra. He slowly opened his Sharingan, hoping to see things in the walls that was hidden for his normal eye and was instantly rewarded with the pain that accompanied the strain of overuse of his Sharingan. Groaning at the pain his attempt had caused him, he closed his Sharingan again.

'Well, that rules out that option for finding out where I am, and more importantly, how the hell I get out of here. To quote Stag, or should I say Shikaku-senpai, how troublesome.'

But something good had come out of his attempt on using the Sharingan; the pain had cleared his head after a few seconds with increased dizziness. Glancing around, he suddenly fell disgusted and ashamed with himself.

'What happened to not letting your comrades die, Kakashi? You are no longer the Hidden Leaf's ANBU Wolf or the teenage jounin who put the mission before anything else; you are Hatake Kakashi, 30 years of age and jounin-sensei of Team 7 who said that I won't allow my comrades to die.'

Ten feet to his left was Remus, chained to the wall as well, his hair obscuring his face. He too had been stripped off his gear and vest, but sandals, pants and shirt remained on. Kakashi frowned. That wasn't standard procedure for taking prisoners. No matter what country with shinobi village, it was drilled into the shinobi that when taking prisoners, you removed clothes and shoes and replaced them with prisoner garbs. It was simple procedure that was taken to ensure the prisoner didn't pull out a kunai or something else from some hidden spot. The fact that Remus and, and as Kakashi found out by looking himself over, himself still wore their clothes led Kakashi to three possible conclusions:

#1: Whoever had taken them prisoner had no idea of shinobi protocol. And considering how they had battled an enemy from Remus' dimension, it was very likely that was the case

#2: They knew shinobi protocol but whoever their captures were, were not following it. Or at least wasn't following it completely meaning they were most likely inexperienced. Something that could prove fatal.

#3: Their clothes and shoes had already been searched, possible hidden weapons removed, and put back on. Something that didn't sit well with Kakashi.

Venturing another glance at Remus , and from his breathing, Kakashi soon determined that Lupin was unconsciousness, so Kakashi went back into ANBU mode like he had did many times before. And thankfully, his eye had adjusted to the dark.

The cell they were kept in was small and square, the walls damp and smooth. In the far corner was a single bed with a very thin mattress and a single grey blanket. Both seemed to have seen better days. Opposite from them was a massive door made of oak, its keyhole providing the only light source. Groaning and slightly twisting his body in the hope of getting into a more comfortable position, Kakashi began to mentally backtrack what had happened.

'Fight… scroll… signs… taking hold of Naruto… in the forest one moment, circular room with torches next… two flashes of red light… here. Wherever here is. I just hope Naru… Naruto! Where is he?'

He let out a sigh. "Well Kakashi, it seems that you have, once again, found your way into the hands of unpleasant people. And probably brought your student along for the ride."

"My, my, Copy-Ninja, no need to get rude from the start. It is bad manners to speak ill of people you haven't met yet."

Kakashi was startled as two people materialized into view, while the door opened, the light from the torches nearly blinding Kakashi. Squinting against the light, he took in the newcomers' appearance. Both wore black robes that reached the floor and hoods obscuring their faces. Or at least face for one of them. The face of the tallest of them seemed to be hidden in smoke beneath the hood while the other had some black hair visible. Both had sticks, 'No Kakashi, wands. You saw what those could do', and kept them pointed at Kakashi and the unconscious form of Lupin.

Mustering his wit and courage, Kakashi tilted his head and eye-smiled at the tallest of them. "Now this is rich. Being lectured on manners when the hosts for the party haven't introduced themselves properly. So I think my manners are pretty good. The same can't be said about you though."

The shorter one tensed slightly and raised the wand, but the taller one, male if the hissing voice was anything to by, took the cheek with deadly calm. Something that unnerved Kakashi. Usually he got a reaction out of his captors for such a remark, a punch to the face, a kick in the guts, a narrowing of eyes, just something. But he got nothing out of the one he wanted a reaction from in order to gauge his temper. And it didn't ease Kakashi nerves that he now had two enemies who used wands. Nor did the fact that the male spoke in a foreign language that Kakashi quickly identified as the same as the one Lupin had spoken in to the Death Eater earlier. It was then the shorter one kneeled on the floor before kissing the male's left hand before standing up again. Kakashi just raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I don't know what you have heard about me, but I'm not into guys. Also, I'm not going to kiss the hand of a stranger. One, I don't know who I'm kissing. Two: I don't know where that hand has been last, so no kissing hands on my part."

The male just chuckled, the sound sending small shivers down Kakashi's spine while the other only seemed to be able to keep quiet because the male hissed a quick "Silence."

Returning his gaze to Kakashi again, the man chuckled again.

"I see your humour hasn't left you which mean you have the spirit to fight. That will just make this so much more enjoyable. There is no fun if the prey and victim is broken from the beginning. Isn't that right… Kakashi?"

The one he Kakashi had identified as male waved his wand in front of his face in a circular motion, dissolving the smoke hiding his face, and Kakashi couldn't help the gasp of surprise that left his lips as he came face to face with the sinister smiling face of…

"Orochimaru!"

But Kakashi wasn't the only to gasp in surprise. Shifting slightly again, Kakashi saw that Lupin was awake and staring with wide eyes. But he wasn't staring at Orochimaru. He was staring at the other.

Madara was not happy as he sat in his chair, staring into the flames dancing in the fireplace while his orange swirl mask lay on a nearby table, accompanied with a bottle of saké. Zetsu had just reported that Orochimaru had indeed gotten a hold of Kakashi Hatake. That did little to ease his worries. Especially considering that Orochimaru seemed to have harnessed some of the powers Voldemort had displayed all those years ago. It was painfully clear the two snakes had been in contact with each other and hadn't mentioned that to Madara. So now Orochimaru both had the Hatake boy and powers that could actually harm Madara.

"Damn that snake to the farthest planes of hell. This was not how it was supposed to go. I was to get the Hatake brat and Orochimaru could get the wand-wielding demon. Instead Orochimaru now have both.."

The reason why Madara wanted to be rid of Remus Lupin was very simple: Seeing how he harnessed the same powers at Voldemort did, he was a threat. Especially after what Voldemort told him about werewolves. They were pretty much like Jinchuuriki… if working together in harmony, they were a force to be reckoned with. But from what Voldemort told him, it required the wolf and man wanting the exact same thing, equal respect and accept of the other and them being willing to trust each other. And while Voldemort had said werewolves weren't anywhere near as strong as Bijuu, Madara had no desire to meet one in battle. So this Remus Lupin, werewolf, had to be taken care off, just in case he posed a threat to Madara's plans.

As for Kakashi Hatake, it was a bit more complicated. One reason was personal. During the era of wars, before the Hidden Villages were founded and the clans used as mercenaries, the Senju and Uchiha were rivals. They were the only ones who was match for one another. Or that was common belief. What few knew, both back then and now, was that during that time, one clan stood up to both Senju and Uchiha: The Hatake Clan.

Madara cursed softly as he took another sip of the saké. Even this day, so many years later, he didn't understand how an inferior Hatake clan, a clan who barely took part in the gruesome battles, managed to force him and the rest of the Uchiha on the run. The Uchiha had sought the Hatake clan after rumour reached them that Senju had sought them out to form an alliance, and Hatake had declined. Confident that he would succeed where Hashirama failed, he gathered the Uchiha and marched to the Hatake.

Needless to say, the negotiations didn't go quite as Madara thought. The aging Hatake leader, Kashisamo "Blind Wolf" Hatake, flat out refused to form an alliance. He had said:

"_When your eyes see the same thing as mine, when your heart beats for the same thing as mine, then we can talk about an alliance, young Madara of the Red Eyed Clan. But until such a day comes, be gone from these lands. Your shadow darkens the light of my eyes._"

At that time, Madara had only been able to stare in disbelief. How the Hell could an old man say something about seeing the same as Sharingan and that rubbish about Madara's shadow darkening the light of his eyes? Especially considering that the elder Hatake obviously was utterly and completely blind? At that time, Madara had thought Kashisamo had wanted the Sharingan and thus Madara had lunged at Kashisamo. That had proved to be bad mistake. One moment Madara was about to chop off the older man's head, the next thing he was flying through a window from a kick to the chest from said old man. And one hour later, the Uchiha clan was being chased through the rocky landscape, as deer running from hungry wolves, by the infuriated Hatake clan.

Madara had tried coming up with explanations for why they failed but found that he couldn't. It was simply against common sense and logic. The Uchiha had taken the most crucial strategically points, element of surprise on their side, the feared Sharingan, yet they had been beaten by a blind man and his clan.

Madara shook his head and muttered, disdain colouring every word.

"And that was only the first time the Hatake clan crossed me. Even now, so many years later, they are still trying to thwart my plans."

Taking another sip of the saké, Madara pondered the other reasons he wanted Kakashi Hatake dead. Another reason was that as long Kakashi had a Sharingan, Madara's collection was incomplete. But the third reason, though still connected to the Sharingan, was Madara's curiosity as to how Kakashi, a non-Uchiha, had obtained the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Would the side effects be the same for a non-Uchiha? Would a non-Uchiha go blind from overuse?

But… Kakashi's Mangekyou was also the reason Madara wanted him out of the picture. From some of the reports Pain had given him. Deidara had been the unlucky victim of Kakashi's new jutsu. Apparently, it was some sort of time-space ninjutsu. And that worried Madara. Why? Because Madara was afraid that Kakashi's Mangekyou would be the only thing that could do anything against him, the invincible Madara.

And then it hit him. Orochimaru wanted the Sharingan in Kakashi's eye. Madara had promised Orochimaru a Sharingan for his help, but if Orochimaru took Kakashi's, why should he continue working together with Madara?

Taking a gulp of the saké, almost emptying the bottle, Madara began pondering the solution for the situation. Or rather: Who to send to solve it.

'I can't do it myself. They have managed to set-up counters against me. Pain or Konan? No, none of them would go alone. They are too close for that. Also, Orochimaru would flee and take the Hatake brat with him the moment he recognizes Pain. Pain would be more than Orochimaru and his servant can handle, but if it doesn't comes to fight, what is the point? And he would also retreat if he sensed Konan alone since he would believe Pain was there too. Besides, Pain and Konan are about to make their way to the Leaf. So who…?'

He let out a sigh. 'Zetsu is out of the question too. Considering they have counters and precautions against me, it is likely they will have against Zetsu too. Sasuke's team perhaps?´

He snorted at this.

'No, they can't go either, even if Sasuke joined them. Too weak. Besides, Sasuke is still recovering after his fight with Itachi… and the others are too weak and too prone to underestimate their opponent. Besides, they aren't going to be happy that Orochimaru is alive. That leaves…'

A knock sounded on the door. Sighing slightly, Madara put on his orange mask with the swirl. "Enter."

The door opened and in stepped Kisame Hoshigaki. The Monster of the Hidden Mist stopped when he was beside Madara, both of them looking into the fire.

"So… Itachi-san is dead and you plan to enrol his little brother, Sasuke-kun, into our ranks?"

Madara nodded. "Yes. That was the general idea. But enough about that. Kisame: I have a mission for you."

Kisame stepped into Madara's line of sight, lips twitching into a smile. "Oh? Does that mean I finally can have some fun?"

Madara smirked behind his mask. 'Kisame never change. Always ready to maim somebody. ' "Yes and no. This mission calls for brute force, battle skill, quick thinking and stealth. Kakashi Hatake is currently being held prisoner by someone, and I'm not happy about it. Your mission is simple: Get Kakashi Hatake out of there, alive, and bring him here. Kill anyone that tries to intervene."

Kisame looked at his leader, frowning slightly in confusion. Then he just shrugged. "Well, I can't say I understand your sudden interest in the Copy-ninja, but I will do my best. Although I can't promise he will be whole, but I will do my best."

Madara nodded. "As long as he is alive when you bring here. Here are the coordinates. Also, here, have a taste."

Kisame raised an eyebrow before taking a gulp of the saké while looking at the piece of paper Madara had handed to him.. "Well, I will be off then."

With that he left, closing the door after him. After one minute, Madara took off his mask again and began thinking about the other times the Hatake clan had crossed him. He brought the bottle to his lips once again and took another sip. Or would have if he could. Because the bottle was empty.

Madara let out a sigh and small chuckle. "That is Kisame for you. He solves one problem and creates a new one in one go. But at least, if everything goes well, I will be rid off more than one big problem in exchange for a small one rising. A fair prize to pay, I will say."

Kakashi might not know who the other of his captors was, but it was clear Remus did. Lupin's face was a huge mix of confusion, surprise and shock, fear, loathing, fury and the murderous intent was rolling off him in waves. And while Kakashi didn't understand the language, there was no doubt in his mind that it was a name that Remus pushed over his lips, disgust lacing every syllable.

"_Bellatrix… Lestrange._"

Bellatrix laughed a girlie laugh, and adding that to her looks, Kakashi wondered if she was completely sane. He could tell that she had once been beautiful lady. She was somewhat tall, with long black hair, black eyes and pale skin, but she bore the traits of someone who had been imprisoned for years seeing how her face was gaunt and almost skull like. But her next words made him bristle slightly.

"Looney, lunar Lupin. How is your wife?"

Kakashi saw how quickly confusion, fear, shock and surprise vanished from Lupin's face, leaving fury and loathing behind. But those feeling seemed to have increased tenfold. He also noticed how Remus narrowed his eyes and clench and unclench his fingers, like he wanted nothing less than to strangle the woman. And Kakashi was sure it was something he imagined, but when Lupin growled out a response, Kakashi thought he saw a wolf behind Remus' eyes.

"_Release me, witch, and repeat your words. If you can, that is._"

Kakashi stared at Bellatrix and saw her taunting smirk being replaced with confusion before that made room for a furious snarl.

"_How dare you speak to me like that, you filthy trash? You monster!_"

Forcing Moony to back down, despite the fact that he agreed with wolf, Remus locked eyes with Bellatrix. His words were likely to get him killed or something along those lines, but he said them anyway.

"_Monster you say? To my knowledge monster aren't able to feel love or guilt. I know perfectly well what those things are. But I don't think you do. So if I'm a monster, then what are you?_"

Bellatrix raised her wand, but Orochimaru took a firm grip around her wrist. "Easy, Bella. He is no good for the game if he is incapacitated. _Silencio. _Take Lupin-san to guest room ten."

Kakashi watched as the guards, who had just walked in, released Remus from the manacles and dragged him, though with great difficulty, out of the door as he obviously tried to shout something, but no words came out. It was just his lips moving. But what he saw next made him sick to his stomach. Orochimaru placed a swift kiss on Bellatix's lips and, much to Kakashi's disgust, Bellatrix seemed to enjoy it. In fact she looked almost disappointed when Orochimaru made his way for the door. And despite that he had his back to the others in the room, Orochimaru's voice was clearly heard.

"I will be back in one hour. Bella, until I return, you can do with Kakashi as you please. Just make sure he is awake and sane. Have fun."

Kakashi smirked in spite of himself. But that came to an end and an unsettling feeling formed in the pit of his stomach when he saw the maniacal smile on Bellatrix's lips and the gleeful light in her eyes. But even with the feeling that he wasn't going to like what was to come, one thought was still more dominant and running through his head.

'Where the hell is Naruto?'

End chapter 8


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Hide and Seek.

Remus was, not too gently mind you, thrown into another cell by the guards. He was not surprised to see that it only had a bed with blankets in it, but it was quite surprising that he had bathroom and that there were no chains or anything anywhere. But more shocking was it that he both had four windows and, even more surprising, a transparent roof. He was, however, not left much time to ponder about this room as Orochimaru stepped into the cell, dismissing the guards and closing the wooden door. With a nonchalant flick of the wand, Orochimaru removed the Silencing charm.

"You are indeed a special one, Lupin-san. It took a couple of Stunners and some of my own sedatives to take you down. You should have been out for at least a couple of hours more."

'Sedatives? That explains why Moony was able to take over earlier on.' Remus gave Orochimaru his best glare, despite it not being very effective since he couldn't stand on his legs.

"Weren't you supposed to be dead?"

Orochimaru chuckled. "Ah yes. I heard the rumours about my demise. That was part of the plan I have with my ally. I would train Sasuke-kun for a couple of years and help when he needed it, and in return I would get what I desired the most: The Sharingan, the pride of the Uchiha clan. But now that I have Kakashi-kun here, I see no reason to continue our cooperation."

Remus frowned. Clearly this Orochimaru was not one who had much honour. "I see. I can't claim I know this world. Actually I hardly know anything about it. But I still fail to see what you want with me and why you have a wand."

Remus felt a shiver run down his spine as Orochimaru laughed and licked his lips with a rather abnormal tongue. "You? Dear boy, whoever told you I was interested in you? It's the power that is part of you, I'm interested in. That horrible, untamed power that is unleashed in the light of the moon. I want the power of the wolf."

Remus went deadly pale, but Orochimaru wasn't done yet. "As for my knowledge of your world, your power, your hidden beast: Voldemort and I were each other's mentor and student. I learned him some of my tricks and I learned some of his tricks. We also exchanged knowledge. That was until he tried to kill me. He wanted to keep his secrets. Ironically, it's his secret that kept me alive. Otherwise my last encounter with Sasuke-kun could very well have been my end. Do you know what a Horcrux is?"

Lupin's eyes went wide with shock. 'Horcrux? No… it… can't be.' Willing his shock to subside somewhat, Remus met Orochimaru's gaze.

"A Horcrux is a container for a piece of a wizard's or witch's soul. You split your soul by committing murder as killing is against nature. It is about the darkest magic you can come across."

Orochimaru chuckled, apparently finding the situation funny. "You know your stuff. Well, that saves me that explanation. Yes, a Horcrux is a container for a piece of your soul. Voldemort had already, according to him, made four Horcruxes by the time he came here, two decades ago. He one of the things he taught me was how to make such a thing. Unfortunately… "

Orochimaru let out a long sigh, disappointment lacing his words, and Remus noticed the longing in the Snake Sannin's gaze as he appeared to be staring out one of the windows. "Unfortunately, it seems different rules apply to our worlds. I suspect it has to with how we are raised as children. In your world, you're taught that killing another human being is a sin against nature and whatnot. In this world, every ninja are taught from an early age that killing is necessary to survive. Of course, most genin, novice ninja, and some chuunin, don't possess the mental strength to kill, but most get that weakness when they are faced with enemies and the horrors of battle. It becomes almost second nature to us."

Lupin stared at Orochimaru, disgust written all over his face. "You should always feel some sort of remorse after having killed somebody. It's what makes us human. It isn't a weakness."

At this Orochimaru outright laughed. "A difference of opinion I suppose. In any case, I made my own Horcrux hours before Sasuke-kun attacked me, so I was quite ill when he attacked me. But my Horcrux was different. The container transformed into this body the moment Sasuke-kun 'defeated' me, making my Horcrux even more advanced than those of Voldemort. But unfortunately, there are always drawbacks."

Orochimaru let out a somewhat bitter sigh.

"This body is still adjusting to the changes. As of now, I only possess one tenth of my former power. But with this wand… Let's just say it more or less makes up for this. It was made by Voldemort himself."

Remus barely managed to get a glimpse of Orochimaru's wand before it disappeared into his robes. But he saw he was an eerie white. But before he could utter a word, a guard entered and whispered something to Orochimaru. Whatever the news was, they weren't taken well by Orochimaru as he frowned and spoke with a voice void of any pleasantries.

"I see. Let Bellatrix handle it. Tell her I want the intruder alive, otherwise, everything goes." The guard nodded and left as Orochimaru turned his gaze back to Remus. "It seems we got some company. I would like to stay and chat, but I think Kakashi-kun will be better when it comes to informing me about who you dragged along."

As he reached the door, Lupin stood up and called out. "You don't know what you are dealing with. The wolf cannot be tamed without the Wolfsbane, and I doubt Bellatrix can brew it. And by the way: You must be more insane than Bellatrix to be in love with her."

Not rising to the bait, Orochimaru smiled. "Love? Ah yes, I think I remember something like that. I can assure you, Lupin-san, I don't love Bellatrix. She is just a tool, a tool to get knowledge, nothing else."

With that Orochimaru left and Remus heard the door being locked. Getting his thoughts sorted, Lupin sat down on the bed and stared up into the night sky. As his thoughts settled on what Orochimaru told him about Horcruxes and Voldemort, Remus felt many emotions raging within him. Disgust, horror, disbelief and anger. Horror and disgust because of the nature of the magic, disbelief that someone had made so many of them and the way Orochimaru's had worked. Anger that Dumbledore hadn't let some in the Order know about them. Disbelief and anger that Harry had refused his help. Well, that he could partially understand, but he couldn't understand why they hadn't told him about the Horcruxes.

He felt a sting in his heart as he eyed the Dog Star.

'Padfoot… Something tells me I soon will join you, Prongs and Lily. But if I do survive this godforsaken place and return to our world, don't be surprised if you get company by Harry, Ron and Hermione. That or the three of you will get very sour buttocks. Because wand or no wand, I intend to give the three of them a piece of my mind. And if you see Dumbledore… Just tell him to have a good explanation ready when I get there.'

Unable to fight the sedatives in his body any longer, Remus collapsed on the bed and fell into an uneasy rest.

0000000

Naruto was not having a good day, night, whatever. 'First we were attacked. Then a strange scroll took Kakashi-sensei, Remus-san and me… here. Wherever here is. And… my head hurts.'

His head hurting was easily explained. At some point, he had let go of the scroll, thinking it would be best thing to do. But that had, for a reason that was beyond Naruto, resulted in him headbutting a stone wall that refused to budge. And if that wasn't enough, but the place gave him the creeps.

He was clearly underground, as the walls, ceiling and floor all was made of stone and earth and there were no other light source than the torches on the walls. The narrow corridors made Naruto feel slightly claustrophobic, and the detailed snakes that were carved into the walls gave him the unsettling feeling of being watched.

Pulling out a kunai, Naruto continued on what he hoped was the way to Kakashi and Remus so they could get the hell out of there. But after walking for about a minute, he let out a low groan. The corridor had split into three. To the left and right there were torches and heavy oak doors, clearly cell doors. The corridor in front of him was also lit with torches and Naruto could see more cell doors. But about 30 feet down, he could see a winding staircase, going both up and down. Sighing he created 20 Shadow Clones and gave them instructions.

"We need to find Kakashi-sensei and Remus-san. Stick to the shadows and avoid the enemy."

The Shadow Clones nodded and sped off in different directions while Naruto walked up the staircase. But after only two metres upwards, he let out a small groan as this looked like exactly the floor he had just left. Swearing slightly, he created more shadow clones. And so it continued for another two floors. Every floor revealed corridors with cells and as the only illumination. It was then it happened. The memories of one of his clones flooded his mind.

His clone had seen a woman with long black hair and eyes. She was somewhat tall with pale skin and to Naruto she looked like she had been imprisoned for some time as her face was gaunt and almost skull like. She looked like she needed help. That thought and knowing he had to find Kakashi and Remus firmly in mind, Naruto went downstairs, knowing he would have to hurry if he should even hope to find her.

000000

Kisame was not happy. Zetsu had transported him to the coordinates, some place in Rice Field Country, land of the Sound Village. The sun was beginning to rise, so his plans of infiltrating in the cover of darkness had gone bye-bye, making Kisame rather moody. As it was, he was staring across a lake towards four towers, standing 150 metres apart from each other, forming a perfect square. He knew that, long ago, stood a castle here, but now only the square towers remained. Kisame could counter five stories plus roof. Every storey changed from stone and wood, ending with the roofs being made of wood. The roofs were dome formed and the north tower roof reflecting the sun. Kisame frowned.

'Reflecting the sun? What…?'

Narrowing his eyes, Kisame looked more closely at that north tower. Sure enough, the roof there was not made of wood, but of glass. Knowing it would be better to wait to infiltrate, Kisame settled down for some rest. He would spend some days gathering info and, if everything went as planned, infiltrate the night of the first full moon.

End chapter 8


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: "Bite me…! On second thought, don't." 

As he barely dodged another beam of red light, Naruto wondered when he would start thinking with his brain. The lady chasing him had been the only one in the corridor when the first Shadow Clone was dispatched off. The clone hadn't heard any doors open or any footfalls, so why hadn't he deduced from the start that it was this stick swinging lady who had destroyed the clone? But he paid dearly for his lapse of concentration as Bellatrix hit him with a Disarming Charm, sending him into the wall. Growling, Naruto stood and launched three kunai at Bellatrix, but soon found himself ducking under a kunai thrown by Bellatrix after she blocked the shuriken with it.

Glaring at Bellatrix, Naruto put his fingers together in a familiar hand seal.

"Shadow Clone jutsu!" Seven clones appeared in a cloud of smoke and spoke as one as they drew kunai and shuriken. "Block this!"

But the next moment he yelped, as all of the kunai and shuriken was sent flying towards him with increased speed as Bellatrix just waved her wand. Knowing it would be best to locate Kakashi and Remus without attracting more attention, Naruto threw another shuriken, just as Bellatrix raised her wand again, and took off at full speed. From the scream of fury, Naruto assumed he had hit her, but he didn't stop to look back. Which he guessed was a good thing as a jet of green light flew right over his shoulder and made a rather nasty burn mark on the wall.

Naruto had no idea how long their 'game' of tag lasted, but he did learn that there were at least fifteen stories with cells with two staircases in each end. But unfortunately, he soon lost track of what storey he was on.

'And what is worse… I can't shake that crazy witch off my trail. I need to buy some time. I need to hide. There!'

Swinging open one cell door, Naruto made to dash inside. But what he saw after opening the door and taking one step made his body freeze in the doorway.

00000

Kakashi dreaded the moment Orochimaru would return. But at least he knew Naruto was still free, and apparently running around. But he couldn't help but be worried. He knew Naruto was not defenceless. Heck, he could perhaps beat some of the jounins and Kakashi himself. If it came to raw power, he definitely could. But Kakashi knew, perhaps better than most, that raw power alone never was the deciding factor in a battle. He had more than once in his career turned his opponents' raw power against them. But the pain he still felt after Bellatrix was done left him wondering if he was going to survive this time.

It had been pain unlike anything Kakashi had ever felt in his entire career as a shinobi. And he had been subjected to almost every form of torture. But nothing came close to that of Bellatrix Lestrange. One word and his entire body had been subjected to pain great enough to make him scream out loud. Every muscle, bone, nerve and fibre had felt like they were on fire. So when one of the guards had interrupted, and he was not proud of admitting it, been relieved. But when the guard had spoken, Kakashi would gladly admit he felt his blood freeze with worry for Naruto. Bellatrix was to apprehend Naruto, though they didn't seem aware of his identity, by all means short of killing.

Kakashi must have somehow dozen off or something, for Kakashi kept seeing the last scene from his nightmare. He was still observing his younger self cry over Minato's body. Then he had seen them: the same sinister amber eyes accompanied with a threatening growl. But this time he saw who the eyes and growl belonged to.

To Kakashi, it looked like some sort of bizarre hybrid of human and wolf. But before he could get a good look at it, the scene in front of him was enclosed in smoke, obscuring his vision. But the smoke didn't muffle the screams of horror and pain, nor the horrendous sound of flesh being torn from bone. In the next moment the creature came barrelling out, blood around its mouth, and jumped at Kakashi. The next Kakashi knew was that he was staring up and into the wolf like creature's eyes, unable to move as the creature almost squashed his chest with its front paw. As it began lowering its head to his throat, Kakashi heard the wolf like creature snarl.

"Pleasant dreams, Kakashi?"

Even if he was asleep, Kakashi would always recognize that voice. Tilting his head slightly, Kakashi smiled. "Yep. But then this greasy voice spoke, and my dream turned into a nightmare. Then I wake up and find the voice's owner in front of me. Mind explaining what you are doing in my dreams of a scene from Icha Icha, Orochimaru?"

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and made a motion with his hand to the guard. "Leave us."

The guard nodded and left, closing the door after him. Orochimaru smiled as he stepped closer to Kakashi. "How delightful to see you again, Kakashi-kun. I hope Bellatrix wasn't too hard on you? I guess so since you are still able to come up with witty remarks. You used to infuriate Jiraiya with them when he and I visited your old man."

Kakashi snorted at that. "Yeah, I remember that. Even then I thought you were creepy and gross."

Kakashi thought that would anger the Snake Sannin, but much to his shock, Orochimaru stayed calm. And something in his voice made Kakashi suspicious of his words. "That's strange. I seem to remember you were quite, content, when I hold you in my arms after your mother passed away. I seem to remember you were two at the time. Just as I seem to remember you called me 'Uncle Orochi' till you were three."

Kakashi internally cringed at what Orochimaru said… especially because it was true. He had been two years old when his mother died, and while Sakumo and Jiraiya and some of the other shinobi was lowering the basket into the grave, Kakashi had clung on to Orochimaru, sobbing his heart out, refusing to let go Kakashi frowned. Orochimaru was acting strange. He had expected sadism and cruelty, not reminiscing about times over two decades ago. But the curiosity got the better of him. If Kakashi could get an answer to something that had, well not haunted him, but nagged him for years, he didn't mind the change of Orochimaru's personality if it meant getting some answers.

"Why Orochimaru? Why did you turn on Konoha? I still remember you as one of the most successful field commanders."

Orochimaru looked surprised for the fraction of second, and then he smiled. "Why, I'm touched Kakashi-kun. But you don't need to think about that. Now, tell me… what do you know about werewolves?"

Kakashi thought for a moment Orochimaru had gone completely mad, more than he thought anyways, but he couldn't help but twitch his lips into a little smirk. 'Changing the topic, huh? Well, two can play that game.'

"Well, yes, Jiraiya-sama told he is already writing the next Icha Icha. I think it going to be called 'Icha Icha, Moonlight Dream'. Can't wait till it comes out."

Orochimaru was not amused. Narrowing his eyes, he glared at Kakashi and spoke with a dangerous hiss, convincing Kakashi he was back at his usual dangerous self.

"I don't have time for you cheek, boy. Now, answer me… what do you know about werewolves?"

Kakashi schooled his expression into one of excitement. "According to Jiraiya-sama, the main character is going to have a dark secret. An inner animal if you will."

That seemed to be the last straw for Orochimaru. He backhanded Kakashi vehemently, ripping his mask off in the process. Orochimaru smirked when Kakashi scowled at him.

"Ah yes. I had almost forgotten how you looked behind that mask. But as you won't answer my question when I ask nicely, I will have to get rough. Perhaps this will get your cooperation? Crucio!"

Kakashi's eye went wide in shock, but the next thing he knew, he was screaming in agony, writhing in his shackles. He was really starting to hate those wands, for he had noticed Orochimaru had drawn a wand from his robes before he was hit. Through the haze of pain he felt after the curse was lifted, he barely registered the door swing open. Unfortunately, Orochimaru did. He spun around and snarled.

"Crucio!"

But apparently someone had the same idea in mind, for just before the word left Orochimaru's lips, Naruto was lifted into the air and blown into the cell, howling in pain with his back rigid and legs and arms twitching uncontrollable. His body went entirely stiff as Orochimaru's curse hit him, and the force of the spell caused Naruto to slam into wall. He slid to the ground, dazed and whimpering in pain.

Naruto's screams and howls had brought Kakashi out of his haze, but enraged as he was, he also knew he would need all the strength he could muster later on, so struggling against the manacles wouldn't do him or Naruto any good. But that didn't mean he couldn't express his contempt and hatred. He glared at Orochimaru as the latter grabbed the whimpering Naruto by the hair and dragged him over to the manacles that prior had been occupied by Lupin.

He growled as Orochimaru slammed Naruto into the wall and chaining him up, contempt, loathing and fury lacing every word. "Leave him alone. It's me you want."

Orochimaru ignored him as he fastened a golden collar with a black stone in it around Naruto's throat. The moment the collar was in place, the lock clicked before melting, leaving the collar as a hand wide ring around Naruto's throat and neck. A frown gracing his features, Orochimaru took a step backwards, clearly examining his handiwork. Then he smiled. A smile that sent shivers down Kakashi's spine.

"That might very well be, Kakashi-kun. But I would be a fool not to utilize this opportunity. Of course I could just kill the boy and thus ruin the Akatsuki's plans, but how often do you get a Jinchuuriki as test subject? But I need to apply one last thing, just to ensure I don't get an unpleasant surprise."

Before Kakashi could blink, the fingertips on Orochimaru's left hand flared purple and Kakashi barely managed to register the element symbols for water, metal, earth, fire and wood before Orochimaru lifted up in Naruto's jacket and t-shirt and in the next moment, he rammed his hand into Naruto's stomach, just around the seal on his stomach. Naruto let out a harsh cough as the air was knocked out of him, and then he slumped forward in his chains, unconscious.

Kakashi couldn't do anything but stare with a foreboding feeling in his stomach as Orochimaru pulled out a syringe with clear yellow liquid.

Orochimaru stepped back and nodded at Bellatrix in the doorway. Wordlessly, although with a smile on her lips, she moved forward and removed every weapon pouch and hidden weapons from Naruto. Then, with a flick of her wand, she released Naruto from his restraints and he unceremoniously fell to the ground, face first.

If it wasn't for the erratic breathing of Naruto, Kakashi would have thought Naruto had been killed like you put down a dog at the vet.

Kakashi might be cool and calm in his voice and on the outside, but internally he was a bomb waiting to go off.

"What have you done to him you snake? I don't care what you do to me, but let the boy go!"

Orochimaru tilted his head to the left, a slight frown on his face. Then his eyes and face lit up in a cruel smile as he stepped closer to Kakashi.

"No can do, Kakashi-kun. But fear not… I will leave the both of you alone for a couple of days. The sedatives I just gave him should be out of his system by then. But I'm afraid I will have to put more, stable, measures of restraints on the boy. But for now, this will have to do. Now… it's your turn."

Ignoring Bellatrix's gleeful cackle and smile, Kakashi steeled himself for another round of torture, a murderous glare firmly in place. But as he expected, Orochimaru calmly ignored the glare as the Snake Sannin came closer and pulled out a black senbon. So it was no surprise for Kakashi as the Sannin tore off his left sleeve, exposing his ANBU tattoo.

Kakashi grinned wryly.

"Sorry Orochimaru, but I'm not attracted to you. Your hair is greasy and you are far too pale. Besides, I'm not into men."

That little remark earned him a swift punch to the jaw. Kakashi didn't even wince, he simply glared as Orochimaru took a painfully grip around his left forearm. The next thing Kakashi knew registered was a searing pain and he couldn't help the gasp escaping his lips as Orochimaru pushed the senbon into his arm, exactly where the tattoo was. Kakashi was prepared for more senbons piercing his flesh, but instead Orochimaru pulled the black senbon out and threw it into a corner. Kakashi noted where it landed from sound alone, keeping his glare firmly at Orochimaru as the Sannin took a small step backwards, pulling out another syringe with same yellow liquid.

Orochimaru chuckled at Kakashi's glare. "Interesting. Sasori and I worked together on that sedative and poison that senbon was laced in. It seems to be working better than I expected. I will leave you now, Kakashi-kun. And due to your remarks, neither of you will get any food. But you will get water."

He stepped forward and whispered in Kakashi's ear. "Don't disappoint me, Kakashi-kun."

With that he left and Bellatrix released Kakashi from his restraints with a nonchalant flick of her wand, causing him to fall forward, but he managed to twist his body so he fell on his right shoulder and then roll onto his back, face pointing in the direction of the senbon. Feeling the sedative with all his willpower, Kakashi heard Orochimaru on the other side of the locked door.

"… nights. Lock off one of the safe rooms. And put some guards on the floors our guests occupy."

That was all Kakashi heard before everything went black.

00000

Remus didn't know for how long he had been out. But considering he had been sedated and was exhausted, he wouldn't be surprised if he had slept a couple of days and nights. He just knew that his left arm was aching, leading him to believe he had laid on it for too long. But when he was about to shift slightly, hoping to get some more rest and thus strength should the opportunity for escape present itself, that idea was quite brutally removed from his mind as felt the breathtaking pain in his chest.

But what happened came as a shock to him, as he had only felt like this many a morning since he was eight. He felt the rage, blood thirst, urge to maim and hunger he felt every morning after the full moons until the Wolfsbane Potion came boil in his veins.

He involuntary bit his lower lip, trying to sate the blood thirst. But instead he felt a rush of anger and power surge through his blood and he came to the startling realization: It was full moon.

'_Exactly, Remus! For too long you have kept me subdued! For too long you have kept me from my right! Too long I have been forced to harm myself as you and the other fools denied me flesh! But no more! Can you feel it? Can you feel my anger, my thirst, and my hunger! Tonight I will feast on the flesh of my enemies!_'

Lupin opened his eyes and stood up with, the light from the moon illuminating the sky and room as he discarded his shirt, pants and sandals. Usually, he would have used a couple of charms that would made his clothes reappear on him after the transformation back to human as it was expensive and tiresome getting new clothes and repair the old ones every time, but with everything that had happened lately, he had only had time to so with his underpants.

'But, it's better than nothing.'

He had barely ended the bitter thought before the accursed globe came into view and he felt Moony's power flare and surge through his body. And as he dreaded, Moony's power had increased since last time. And he also realized how dependant and accustomed to the Wolfsbane Potion he had become, as the potion had made his transformations almost painless. And on the night Pettigrew escaped himself and Sirius in Harry's third year, the transformation had been less painful than normal as he had been on Wolfsbane for quite some time. But this time he felt the full pain.

He screamed and gasped in agony and fell to the floor as he felt his heart skip several beats while his ribcage expanded violently, his lungs and heart soon following suit. On the same time, he felt every muscle in his body twist, grow and change form and settle, while almost every bone broke apart, grew in size, changed form and mended themselves, his skin stretch painfully as his body adjusted to the wolf like form.

He felt his jaw break apart, change form while his teeth elongated, just as he felt his skull altering, getting more thicker and longer, and he was barely aware his screams had turned into howls and the beads of sweat pouring all over his body got sucked up in the fur that sprouted at a alarming rate.

And just as suddenly as the pain started it was gone, leaving Moony panting on the floor. He lay there for almost one full minute, barely moving. But as the werewolf stood up on all fours, it felt better than it had in years, as if the resent pain hadn't been there in the first place. Moony could feel the power surging through him, and he felt his muscles ripple with every move.

In the deeper recesses of his mind, Moony saw Remus in the cave the human had taken shelter in from when he was a kid and till the Wolfsbane Potion was discovered. It was this cave that had ensured Remus Lupin's survival all those years, as Moony was unable to find the way up there. Add to that, but the cave was located in a way that allowed Remus to bombard the wolf with stones, should he try to climb the mountain side. But knowing that the human wouldn't come out of there, Moony let out a gleeful howl.

Upon seeing the full moon high in the sky, Moony bowed his head in honour of his ancestor. It was then it happened. The smells bombarded his sensitive nose. Taking deep sniffs, Moony soon encountered different smells, identifying all of them as prey. One of them was reeking of fear and was so close that Moony almost could taste his flesh. Others were farther away and gave of the smell of anxiety, confusion and nervousness. But one whiff caught his interest more than anything.

It was faint, but it was there: Blood.

Taking more deep sniffs, Moony growled softly as the blood got paired together with images of a man with a mask and spiky grey hair. Glancing around, Moony quickly identified the exit. Growling, Moony took a few steps backwards, before moving forward, hitting the door with his shoulder. The door creaked, but otherwise showed no signs of budging.

Snarling in anger and frustration, Moony backed till the other end of the room, thus gaining a good run-up, before ramming into the door again. This time the hinges and door protested vehemently, but the door refused to give in.

Growling, Moony backed once again, and with a roar of anger, sprinted towards the door. Three feet away from the door, Moony leapt, using his entire strength, momentum and weight. The heavy wood door couldn't withstand the assault and it was smashed to smithereens. Slightly dazed from the impact, Moony took in all of his surroundings with all of his senses. Looking to his right, he saw the trembling form of a human standing fifteen feet from him, the sweat produced by fear pouring down what was visible of his face. Snarling, and still on all fours, Moony took a step forward.

The Sound ninja panicked. "Stay away from me!"

With that he threw a couple of kunai and shuriken at the looming form of Moony. Moony howled as the shuriken hit him, despite them barely scratching him as the fur pretty much stopped the incoming projectiles. But one of the kunai stuck in his left shoulder while a shuriken cut his snout and near his eye.

Enraged, Moony attacked and the last thing the Sound ninja saw was a mouth, full of white and yellowy teeth.

When Moony was done with the guard, all that remained was a bloody mass on the floor. The Sound ninja had sated his thirst and hunger, but it was nowhere near enough. Add to that, but Moony knew this was not his true enemy. Furious, he set out on the hunt for his adversary. And any one brave or foolish enough to come between him and his prey would face his rage.

00000

When Naruto came around, he was aware of three things. One: His entire body hurt, especially his stomach. Two: His clothes were slightly wet and three; he felt like he was drowning. Quickly getting up on his hands and knees, he spit out several mouthfuls of water. Still groggy, he stood up and shook his head trying to clear his thoughts a bit.

'I remember being chased by that crazy woman. Then… I opened a door and I saw that bastard to Orochimaru… or at least one who looked an awfully lot like him. But he wasn't alone… he… and… who?'

Then an image of Kakashi without his mask flashed through his mind, and he looked frantically around, and Naruto was sure he felt his heart skip a beat. Kakashi lay in the water, maskless, but he wasn't moving. Ignoring the ankle deep water, Naruto quickly crossed the short distanced between them and kneeled beside him. He was quite shocked getting the first real sight of his sensei's true face

"Kakashi-sensei… are you alright?" No response. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, wake up." Still no response. Naruto gave him a shove. "Kakashi-sensei, this isn't funny anymore. So why don't you just drop the act so we can get out of here?" Silence. A single tear slid down Naruto's cheek. "KAKASHI-SENSEI! STOP PLAYING DEAD, DAMN IT!"

One minute passed, two minutes, and when the third minute without any reaction from Kakashi passed, Naruto broke down. Tears was rolling unchecked down his cheeks, heavy sobs wrecking his body. He knew Shinobi rule number 25, but found that at the moment he didn't give a damn about those rules. He just wanted his sensei back.

"Kakashi-sensei, you can't be dead. You simply can't. Who is going to teach me more ninjutsu? I can't beat Sasuke as I'm now! So please, live. Live, god damnit!"

As he spoke the last words, he brought down his hands, clenched into fists, hitting Kakashi hardly in the chest. He brought up his right fist, quite like a child would do during a tantrum, but as he brought it down again, he let out a startled gasp as a hand caught his wrist in a vice-like grip.

"I'm sore enough without you hitting me… Naruto."

Naruto's eyes flew wide open, and his face lit up in a grin as he gazed into Kakashi normal eye, and despite Kakashi protesting, pulled the jounin into a sitting position and engulfed him into a hug. Kakashi was stunned. He was quite uncomfortable in the hug, not just because of his sore body, but after his father's death, affectionate gestures seemed wrong to him and they made him uneasy.

But after listening to Naruto rambling on about "lost you… alone… dead…", Kakashi realized that Naruto needed the comfort, or reassurance that he wasn't dead, so awkward patted the teenager on the back.

"Easy there, Naruto. Easy. I'm not dead and I don't plan on doing so anytime soon. It takes a bit more than to do me in, so you won't get rid of me that easily. Besides, I'm going to see you become Hokage some day, and you still have a long way to go before that happens."

Assured, Naruto let go before wiping away a couple of tears. He was embarrassed he had broken down like that, but to him it just felt as the right thing to do. Chuckling slightly, though with a hint of darkness in it, Naruto took in Kakashi's face; everything from the defined jaw line to his nose. Naruto couldn't help but blush slightly.

"You know Kakashi-sensei… this wasn't how I thought I was going to see your face."

Kakashi gave a dry chuckle as both of them stood up. "Believe me Naruto, that goes for me too. Then again, I had never expected you to see my face at all, nor ending up as Orochimaru's prisoner after hearing he was killed."

Naruto's eyes went wide with shock, although Kakashi also traced some fear in his voice. Not that he blamed him or anything. The Snake Sannin could give anyone the creeps. "So… it really was Orochimaru? But, he is supposed to be dead! Sasuke killed him! How is it possible?"

Kakashi frowned and clenched the bridge of his nose, thinking about the teenager's question. Coming up blank, he let out a frustrated sigh.

"I don't know, but I intend to find out. But first, we have to get the hell out of here and find Remus-san."

With that he went over to the corner where he knew Orochimaru had tossed the senbon, and after searching after it with his hands in water that almost was up to Naruto's knees, he found it. Smiling slightly, he stood up. But his smile was short-lived as he laid eyes on Naruto's downcast expression.

"Naruto?"

Naruto's head snapped up, and despite the darkness Kakashi saw the beginning of a panic attack setting in on the blond. His eyes were wide and never seemed to stay on the same place, small beads of sweat was running down his face and his breathing was uneven.

Had Kakashi been thirteen again, he would ask Naruto to pull himself together. But he wasn't and he had to remind himself that Naruto wasn't like him in so many aspects. Nor did he have the training of ANBU, the elite assassins.

Naruto had never been tortured for information during war were intelligence on the enemy was life-saving, nor had he been submitted to the physical and mental training most jounin and ANBU were in order to withstand the enemy's torture, even if it only was for a small amount of time.

The ANBU training came very close to the real deal of torture, and in order to pass, you had to last for five days, as it usually was too late for the enemy to do anything about the ANBU's plans after five days had passed.

For the jounins, the test was something they could choose to undertake and they had to last for three days. Not because their success rate was higher or some nonsense like that, but after passing the deadline for the mission with three days, the jounins would be considered dead and an ANBU clean-up squad would be dispatched to cover up the tracks and destroy the corpses. In the past, back when Kakashi took it, the test had to be taken in order to rise in rank from chuunin to jounin. Especially if the ninja wished to go on the difficult solo missions.

Kakashi remembered darkly how Minato had gotten a dark look in his eyes when asked about the test. And Kakashi would never forget Minato's horrified expression when Kakashi at age thirteen had asked Minato to sign the applications so he could take the test. Nor would he forget the row that followed between himself, Minato and Jiraiya. In the end, he had overtrumped them with the argument that they were low on jounin and they were at war.

And if Minato still refused to sign when filing the application as 'Kakashi Hatake, chuunin, recommended by jounin Minato Namikaze', he would file his application as 'Kakashi Hatake, Clan Heir and Head', meaning only the Hokage might have had a say in the matter as there was no older living Hatake in the village.

And Kakashi wouldn't forget the fight that ensued between the Third and Minato, Jiraiya and, for some reason, Tsunade, when the Third refused to reject Kakashi's application if it came to, although it was clear he wanted to. Doing so would be interfering with clan matters, and the agreement between the Hokage and the clans was that as long as the village's safety wasn't put at jeopardy, the Hokage wouldn't interfere with the clans' business. And if the Hokage interfered with something like that, it might have caused tensions with the other clans. And the last thing the Leaf Village needed at that time was an intern rebellion by the clans.

So in the end, Kakashi got what he wanted. The odd thing was that he didn't even regret it, although he wasn't happy with the comparisons people made afterwards. But he found he had to agree; just like Orochimaru and Danzou, he would use semi dirty tricks to get what he wanted and what was necessary to get done.

In either case, their current predicament was not something pre-genin were taught to deal with at the Academy, and Kakashi wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

Shaking his head to clear his head for his morose and morbid thoughts, Kakashi placed a gentle hand on Naruto's shoulder, knowing he had to snap him out of it before the panic really got a hold on the boy. He could clearly see the boy thought Kakashi expected him to something, but Kakashi also knew just as well that if you were of no help at all if you panicked.

"Hey, Naruto. Right now, you just relax and let me handle this, okay? This old wolf still got a thing or two up his sleeve, so why don't you just me about this?"

Naruto's eyes lit up slightly with relief, but Kakashi could tell he still needed some convincing.

"Hey, when we get back, I will help you get Sakura on a date. Even pay part of the bill if you take her somewhere proper. Deal?"

Naruto's face went from slightly frightened and depressed to relieved and cheerful. "Really? You promise?"

Naruto knew he sounded childish, but he was scared. He had never been in a situation like this before, or anything remotely similar. And even if he would deny it later, Naruto was glad Kakashi took control of the situation. Upon seeing Kakashi's nod, Naruto smiled, and took a little step back to get Kakashi room to work.

"It's a deal, sensei."

Smiling slightly, Kakashi nodded and snapped the senbon in two. He was barely aware something he guessed to be blood was trickling down his left arm as he set about to work on coaxing the lock, straining his hearing to detect any guards approaching. It would have been have a hell of lot easier if he had access to his chakra as he would have been able to use a water jutsu to remove the bothersome door, but the senbon could be used too.

But in the back of his head, Kakashi had the nagging voice telling him something about the situation was utterly wrong. It wasn't like Orochimaru to provide means to escape, so Kakashi couldn't shake the feeling that there was more in this scenario that met the eye. But as the lock gave a soft click, Kakashi pushed those thoughts away for analysis for later. He had more pressing matters now.

Waiting a full minute with intense listening, Kakashi motioned for Naruto to come closer. Once the boy was right behind him, Kakashi readied the broken senbon for throwing and pushed the door open.

The water instantly gushed out, and the two shinobi jumped out, ready to take out possible resistance. To their great luck and relief, there were no guards. Quickly motioning for Naruto to follow him, Kakashi took off down the corridor. But they as they rounded a corner, they came face to face with a Sound-nin, his eyes wide and body tense. He was clutching a kunai in his left hand and a couple of shuriken in the right hand. His voice was hoarse.

"H…"

Assuming he was about to say 'Halt', Naruto gave an angry shout. "Bite me…!" as Kakashi swore and threw the senbon pieces, aiming for the man's throat.

But much to their surprise, the man fell forward before the senbon pieces hit him, making the pieces hit him directly in the face. And he gave no outcry or anything as he hit the floor, and as they looked closer at him, they saw why.

Naruto felt he was going to be sick while Kakashi narrowed his eye in thought. The man's back was ripped open from neck to coccyx, giving them a clear view of his spine that seemed to be broken several places. To Kakashi it looked like an animal's work, but what animal went into such frenzy?

But what happened next made even Kakashi slightly nauseous. Most shinobi could sense emotions somewhat when they became jounin, but Kakashi didn't even need his chakra to feel this.

Untamed feral rage and inhuman blood thirst was approaching, and fast at that. Glancing over his shoulder, Kakashi realized Naruto must have been able to feel it too, for the blond had gone deadly pale. Knowing it could be fatal fleeing from an enemy without having any idea of what you are up against, Kakashi got into a fighting stance.

Then he heard it. It was faint, but he was sure he heard paws on the hard floor. They was slowing down before coming to an abrupt halt. Then a soft growl was heard, and if Kakashi was to say what it belonged to, he would say a wolf. But this growl sounded more feral and deranged than any growl he had ever heard from a wolf. And the lust for blood was not what you found in your everyday wolf.

It was then they saw the one growling, and Kakashi felt his blood run cold. 'How can this be possible?'

Despite he had only seen the 'face' once, there was no mistaken it. This was the creature from his nightmares. It looked like a wolf and a man had been merged together in the most hideous mix possible, yet it was a practical. The front legs and paws were a lot like arms and hands, able to grab hold on something, or perhaps rather somebody, but still with a bestial touch. The body was a clear mix of human and wolf, and the hind legs was also human-like. Kakashi estimated if this creature rose on its hind legs, it would at a minimum be as tall as Jiraiya.

And despite the thick grey-bluish fur, Kakashi could see the muscles of the beast ripple with every growl and shift of the body. Looking closer, Kakashi noted all of its legs had long claws on them, the ones on the front paws glistening with what Kakashi concluded was blood, especially considering how the creature had blood smeared around its mouth, a bit of it dripping onto the floor with the saliva running from its lower mouth. But the most scary part, in Kakashi's opinion, was the eyes.

Deep amber eyes glowing with malice and blood frenzy, but still with a human like intelligence in them.

Kakashi heard Naruto gulp quite audible, and speaking with a timid voice, fear lacing every word. "On second though, don't."

Kakashi tensed as he saw the wolf creature take a deep whiff and a tentative step forward, eyes locked on them, as if calculating on something. As it let out a loud growl and its body tense up as if it was about to pounce, both man and boy spoke what first came to mind.

"Oh shit."

End chapter 10

AN: Sorry for the long wait, but I wanted this chapter to be as good as possible, as it is somewhat special to me. I know I focused a lot on Naruto in this chapter, but that will change. If you think I was unclear in my description of Moony as he is from Kakashi and Naruto's perspective, please let me know. I sought to make him a mix of William (the great werewolf) in "Underworld Evolution" and the werewolves in "Van Helsing."

If you haven't seen either of those movies, let me know so and I will try finding a couple of pictures.

And yeah, I know Orochimaru seemed somewhat OOC in this chapter. I did that on purpose to remind people that wasn't always a villain. Perhaps he wasn't loveable, but he was friendly to Konoha nin at some point.

See ya, and please let me know what you think.

Next time: Moony's Hunt and Strength


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Moony's Hunt and Strength.

"Oh shit."

In the next moment, the wolf like creature leapt, and the two shinobi barely managed to press themselves against the wall, avoiding the fangs and claws by inches. Snapping out of his confused thoughts, Kakashi looked around for a weapon. The Sound-ninja was bound to have some weapons on him, but Kakashi knew he didn't have the time to search for them. Shaking his head a bit, Kakashi saw that Naruto looked confused as why he couldn't summon chakra for Rasengan, mixed with fear. Not that Kakashi could blame him though. If he had to be honest with himself, he was scared too.

'What the hell is this creature? A... werewolf? It seems Orochimaru have made the myth true. Hm?' He had seen the kunai embedded in the creature's left shoulder. 'No wonder you're cranky. It seems your master turned against you. Or at least his men did.'

A plan quickly formed in Kakashi's mind, and keeping his eye fixed on the wolf, he whispered. "Naruto, I got a plan. I will distract it, get the kunai and…"

But he never managed to tell Naruto about his involvement in the plan, as the boy in an act of bravery or stupidity, your pick, raced towards the wolf looking creature. Kakashi guessed that the creature, or what he now guessed to be the werewolf Orochimaru talked about earlier, was just as surprised about Naruto's action as Kakashi was, seeing how it didn't attack him. But it was still a bit too close for comfort when Naruto barely avoided the claws as the creature lashed at him. The blonde jumped, and managed to get on the back of the werewolf, taking a as firm hold he could around its neck with one arm, while grasping for the kunai with the other hand.

Needless to say, the werewolf was not pleased with having the blond boy hanging around its neck, agitating the stab wound with his attempts at pulling out the kunai. So Kakashi could fully understand its howl of frustration and rage as it flung the boy of with a violent jerk of its head, the muscles in the neck proving to more than Naruto could handle. Or at least it would have been free for Naruto, if the latter in a moment of inspiration or madness, hadn't gotten a hold on the creature's left ear, thus the howl.

It was strange sight to say the least. The beast was thrashing and shaking its body, but Naruto kept hanging on by the ear, like an annoying bug that keeps coming back no matter how many times you swat it away. And if the situation hadn't been so dire and dangerous, Kakashi might have laughed. But just as soon as the thought entered his mind, it left again. The werewolf had managed to shake Naruto off, sending the boy flying through the air before landing beside Kakashi, quite ungracefully and hard.

Groaning, the teenager turned around on his back before getting into a sitting position.

"Man, that's gonna bruise. But at least I got what I wanted. And I think the monster over there is slightly winded, believe it!"

Much to Kakashi's surprise, Naruto held out a kunai covered in blood. Glancing at the beast, Kakashi noted that it was the kunai that had been embedded in the creature's shoulder. The beast was currently shaking its head, as if trying to shake water out of its fur. But much to Kakashi's chagrin, the werewolf's eyes soon focused on them again. And when it set eyes on the blond, Kakashi could clearly see the hair on its neck stand up and it was baring its fangs.

"Sorry kid, but I don't think you made it lose its breath. I'm afraid you only managed to make it go from cranky to mad."

The werewolf growled and stood up on its hind legs, letting out a minor roar. Kakashi narrowed his eye as he looked the creature up and down. It's front side was covered in fur, but even so, the muscle structure was very close, if not identical, to that of human. And the same for its chest. But he was soon brought out of his thoughts when he found himself ducking under a massive paw with razor sharp claws.

Kakashi didn't even stop to consider where Naruto was before dropping low to his back and locking his left leg around the beast's left leg. As the creature glanced down at him, snarling, Kakashi kicked with all his might into where he guessed the kneecap would be. Had his opponent been a human, the kneecap would have been broken so much that it would take a quite skilled medic-nin to repair the damage. But this beast was apparently way more hardy than your average ninja. It fell alright, but it barely gave a howl of pain. Kakashi didn't care about that though.

Before the werewolf could stand up again, the jounin jammed the kunai into where he hoped its hearts was.

The werewolf let out a howl and yelp, but after that it fell silent. Kakashi sighed and stood up, taking a few steps towards the blond teenager who had managed to take cover in a door way. But he had barely taken a few steps when he heard a low growl from behind him.

"Kakashi-sensei, behind you!"

Kakashi spun on his heel, crossed his arms in front of his face and jumped backwards, trying to avoid the violent backhand the werewolf aimed at him. He didn't get away, but his block took the worst of it. And he was realized that if he hadn't leapt backwards, his wrists would have been snapped like twigs. But still, that backhand held a lot of power behind it as Kakashi sailed several feet through the air, before landing on his back and sliding for seven more, coming to a stop next to Naruto.

"Kakashi-sensei, are you alright? Can you stand?"

Kakashi groaned. "Yeah. I have had worse. But I don't think we will be able to stand if that thing gets its claws on us."

Naruto glanced at the creature and saw that his sensei had a point. But he was pretty much his face went wide when he saw the creature pull out the kunai as if it was nothing before tossing it over its shoulders. And the truth of Kakashi's statement was underlined when the beast glared at them, baring its fangs completely.

Kakashi barely got on his feet before the werewolf let out a roar and got on all fours again, its hind legs already tensed up to leap a great distance.

Kakashi swore. 'No chakra to take down that beast. And stabbing it didn't work. Orochimaru, I must hand it to you: This is quite a monster you have created.' "Naruto, run!"

And for once in his life, Naruto obeyed without hesitation. A wise move, as the werewolf landed right where he had been previously.

The werewolf let out a roar of anger, before setting after the two shinobi that were running in the opposite direction, away from the werewolf.

00000

Orochimaru licked his lips as he sat in his chair in the south tower, watching the monitors. "Superb. Bella, your world and its inhabitants never cease to intrigue me."

Bellatrix, slightly confused but also delighted at being in Orochimaru's presence and being his most trusted body-guard, stepped forward. "My Lord?"

Orochimaru just pointed to a screen, showing the top room in the north tower, the hidden cameras getting every angle, even the glass roof. The room was empty, but it showed what was left of the wooden door.

"That door was protected by seals and charms, making it able to withstand anything chakra enhanced or some of the most powerful curses. Yet the werewolf smashed it like it was nothing. It's exactly that kind of power I'm looking for."

Bellatrix hid her disgust well. She couldn't grasp why one would want a dirty beasts like a werewolf's power. "If I may ask, my Lord, why do you want the power of such an animal?"

Orochimaru slowly turned in his chair, his hands steepled in front of him. "For years I have studied the human body, trying to find a way to improve it, make it stronger. Some years ago, I found a way through a boy. Unfortunately, when I transfer the enzyme to grant them extraordinary power, the Curse Mark, only one out of ten survives. The werewolf is, in many aspects, similar to people granted with Curse Mark. However, the survival rate for a werewolf bite is much higher than being branded with a Curse Mark. I want our dear Lupin-san to infect all of my men and then some prisoners. I will have an army of werewolves at my command, and I will use them to destroy the Hidden Leaf Village. After that, I will expand my army and have my revenge on Akatsuki."

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed and his voice got a dangerous edge to it. "I was told that all victims of a werewolf bite survive and was sure to become werewolves themselves. Is that not correct, Bellatrix?"

Bellatrix managed just in time to stop the gulp and the sweat from forming on her brow. Orochimaru could be just as cruel as Voldemort when displeased, and then some. "Yes my Lord."

Orochimaru stared into her eyes, trying to find any trace of lies. When he found none, he smiled. "I believe you, Bella."

Bellatrix let out a small sigh of relief, but as Orochimaru turned around to watch the monitors again, the curiosity got the better of her.

"My Lord, with all due respect: If you only are interested in the beast, why let the man with the grey hair live?"

Orochimaru chuckled at that. "Kakashi-kun and I go way back. But I want him alive because I don't trust Madara to uphold his part of the deal. As long as I got rid of Kakashi-kun and Lupin-san, he would give me a Sharingan. But knowing Madara, he would turn against me as soon as he got what he wanted. With Kakashi-kun here, I get what I want and I got to run a couple of tests and see firsthand what a werewolf can do."

Bellatrix nodded, although Orochimaru couldn't see it. "And the boy?"

Orochimaru stood and glanced over his shoulders. "I have never had a Jinchuuriki, who is quite like a werewolf, as a test subject before. I also thwart Akatsuki's plan of capturing all of the Jinchuuriki. But most important, I need the boy to keep Kakashi-kun docile. He tends to be rather…contrary and obstinate."

Bellatrix just raised an eyebrow, but one look at one of the screen confirmed what Orochimaru had said as she saw Kakashi working on the door with what looked like a couple of needles.

"He is very resourceful."

Orochimaru chuckled. "Yes. By leaving a senbon behind, I trusted his ninja training to kick in to recognize a tool for escape. And to make sure he would try his hardest to escape, I had the cell flooded. So either they take their chances at escaping or they drown. And knowing Kakashi-kun, he will take a chance if it means keeping the people precious to him safe. Especially that boy."

Bellatrix gave a silent snort. She was sure Orochimaru was correct about Kakashi, making the latter a fool in her eyes. But she barely had time for thinking about how foolish Kakashi was when all of the monitors went black and Orochimaru let out a shout of fury.

"What?"

Bellatrix didn't understand it either. Then again, she was disgusted one who was so much like Voldemort would use something like electricity, seeing how it was something muggles used. But she didn't dare voice her opinion on it. Orochimaru had quite the temper and he was furious. Even more so because this probably meant an intruder had infiltrated the base and they couldn't get out and find out who.

Reason: The door into the room was so heavily warded with spells and seals that even Tsunade wouldn't be able to smash it down. And seeing how there was no lock, it couldn't be coaxed open. Just as the door to the little safe room they had kept open for their guests.

00000

Kakashi was tiring. Slowly, but surely. He had lost count on how long they had been chased by the monster. But what unnerved Kakashi was that they were unable to shake the beast off their trail. They had lost it a couple of times when they ran down or up of staircases or split. But it somehow managed to find them again and then herd them so they ended up on the same spot. What worse was, Kakashi had figured out how it found them; or him at least. His blood. It simply sniffed him out.

It didn't make it any better that his ANBU tattoo wouldn't stop bleeding. And it wasn't a brainer why. Orochimaru had said the senbon was laced with poison. Since he now had the light to see it clearly, Kakashi had discovered his tattoo now was an angry red and blood kept flowing from it. Not enough to be nearly fatal in itself, but enough for the werewolf to track him.

But as of now, he had more than just getting away from the creature on his mind. Although it was vague, he was briefly wondering how many would forgive him if he strangled Naruto if they ever got away from this hell.

Why? Because during one of their close calls with the werewolf, they had gotten into an empty cell to catch their breath. In that cell, Kakashi had told Naruto about the poison preventing his blood from congealing. Kakashi had suggested that he would go down and Naruto was to go up, and thus hopefully escape.

Needless to say, Naruto had protested quite fiercely at the suggestion. And to make sure the suggestion would be pointless, Naruto had smeared Kakashi's blood all over his own clothes and even some on his face.

At that time, Kakashi had been warring with himself whether to praise Naruto for showing such loyalty or cuff him over the head for stupidity. But as the werewolf had caught up to them again, he guessed they had more pressing matters at hand.

They ran for probably one more hour, up and down, left and right, until they came to a door they hadn't encountered before. It had no lock or handle, and unlike the other cell doors, it was made of massive steel and covered with signs of different shape and size. Kakashi understood some of them, but not all.

But what he understood gave him a rough idea of what it was. "It's safe room. From what I can understand, it is to keep out 'The Son of the Moon'. I guess it's that wolf creature."

He took a quick glance into dark room.

"Naruto, get in there."

Naruto instantly rounded on Kakashi, after seeing how small it was. It would only fit one of them. "No chance Kakashi-sensei! You go in there. I'm younger than you and thus have better chances surviving what that snake bastard will do compared to one of your age. Besides, a student inherits his way of his ninja from his master."

At this Kakashi cocked his head to the side. 'Did Naruto just call me old?' But he was losing his patience with the blond.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't your way of the ninja never to go back on your word?"

Naruto gave a slight nod. "Yes. But I took what you said back when you fought Zabuza to heart. You said you wouldn't let your comrades to die. You are my teacher, and thus I inherit your way of the ninja. Your way of the ninja is that you won't let your friends die. So I have my own ninja way, but I have also yours."

Once again, Kakashi debated with himself whether to be proud of Naruto or hit him. But he was saved from deciding when the sound of the growling werewolf sounded from his right.

But before he could do anything, Naruto was sent flying into a wall with a scream as the werewolf smashed him away with its paw, slicing Naruto across the back with three of its claws and in the fraction of a second later, had Kakashi pinned to the ground, the werewolf's massive paws keeping his arms firmly in place.

But just as the werewolf began lowering its head to bite off Kakashi's head, drool hitting his face, there was a shout.

11111

Kisame was, quite frankly, in a foul mood. It had taken him far longer to find the entrance into the enemy's base than he liked. None of the towers had doors in them, and the locals just stared at him. Add to that, but the enemy-nin he had seen was from Sound. That village was Orochimaru's, but had been destroyed.

And when he had followed them, he had to refrain from killing them for their choice of entrance. In the middle of the square the towers formed was there a huge lake; the north tower pretty much standing in the lake. In the middle of that lake was there a small island with a little hut, apparently a fisher cabin. But after entering the hut, he had discovered there was a huge hole inside, a staircase leading underground.

And entering the hut hadn't been easy. The Sound-nin patrolled with such frequency that Kisame had a hard time finding a gap. He had spent almost an entire day figuring out how to get in without anyone being any wiser. And the he had not found the solution very funny: He had to cross the bloody lake by swimming underwater.

So when he got inside of the cabin on the night of his infiltration, he killed a couple of Sound-nin in order to let out some steam and cut off the electricity for the video cameras for good. Or at least he hoped so. Then, he descended.

But it soon became clear to him that the base, hideout, dungeon, whatever, was way bigger than he anticipated at first. He had searched the west and east towers, but no trace of the Copy Ninja in the towers or in the corridors between them. But in the top of the east tower he had found a steel door with strange signs on it. From those signs, or kanji, he knew, he could make out it was some sort of safe room. But from what, he had no idea. Nor did he see the point in making a door with no knob, making it impossible to open. What was even more odd was that it almost seemed to have become with the wall and after a quick check, he deducted there was no one in there. Shrugging it off as nothing, he had continued to the north tower.

It had been quite the walk. He had found several bodies maimed beyond recognition, their tattered uniforms being the only thing that assured him they weren't the object of his mission. To Kisame, it looked like some sort of beast had been on the rampage and he wouldn't deny he tightened his grip on Samehada. Add to the bodies, but there was something about the entire place. The long corridors and the designs on the walls were a bit too much like Orochimaru for Kisame's taste.

But much to his delight, Samehada had picked up the chakra of the Copy-Ninja, so Kisame resumed his hunt, although a bit slower than he would have liked. Running into whatever had killed those ninjas could prove to be somewhat of a bother.

He went downwards, passed a door that had been coaxed open from the inside and water on the floor. Not taking his time to investigate further, he continued downwards with the basic direction south.

As he neared the twentieth subterranean floor or so from cabin level, Kisame rounded a corner and stopped dead in his tracks from surprise. His target was pinned to the ground by some bizarre wolf monster that seemed about ready to bite the head of Sharingan Kakashi off, while one of the last Jinchuuriki was less than five feet from said ninja.

And knowing Madara would be far from pleased if any of the two Leaf shinobi came to a premature death, Kisame quickly clapped his hands together, building up chakra.

"Water Element: Water Bullet!"

The creature raised its head at his shout, and it was flung off Kakashi with a howl as the bullet of compressed water hit it right in the face, sending it down the corridor and out of sight. Kisame smirked and walked closer to his target, knowing that a direct hit with that jutsu could take down even the most persistent shinobi.

11111

Kakashi blinked as he saw the wolf creature was sent down the corridor with a water jutsu. Whoever did that had a lot of power behind it. But what put Kakashi slightly on edge was that the voice who had spoken the jutsu seemed oddly familiar. And when he set eye on their 'saviour', Kakashi had mixed feelings about the matter.

"Geez, is this good timing or bad timing? From one monster's mouth to another's claws."

Kisame just smirked as he came closer. "You should be thanking me, Copy Ninja. I just saved yours and the Jinchuuriki's life. Although you probably will wish you died here once we are done with you."

Kakashi didn't dignify that with an answer right away. His mind was already coming up with different possibilities for what Kisame meant, werewolf forgotten. That they wanted Naruto alive, for now, was no surprise. They needed him alive to extract the Kyuubi. But why they wanted Kakashi alive, he had no idea.

With an inaudible groan, Kakashi stood up and placed himself between Kisame and Naruto, helping the latter to his feet.

"I don't know what you want me for, but you aren't getting Naruto as long I still breathe."

Kisame just chuckled and took a step closer. He had seen through Kakashi's empty bluff. As it was, Kakashi's breath was somewhat laboured and he had small pearls of perspiration running down his face. Ignoring that Kakashi was without his mask, Kisame gave an evil smile.

"That could easily be fixed. Believe me, Kakashi of the Sharingan, when I say that stood it to me, I would prefer to just kill you and call it the day. But unfortunately, that isn't the case. But that doesn't mean I can't beat the both of you senseless and take you with me. Though, in your current state, I doubt it would be too hard to do that."

Kakashi was just in time to grab Naruto by the collar and pull him backwards so he once again was between the boy and Mist-nin, taking notice of the three bleeding wounds on Naruto's back.

'That's strange. The Kyuubi should be healing those wounds by now.'

But before he could ponder more on the matter that was Naruto's wounds, he felt fury, blood lust and killing intent flare to hellish levels. It didn't become any better when he felt the source approaching, having an all too clear idea of who, or rather what, the source was.

"Shit. Not again."

Kisame just smirked and kept staring at the two Leaf shinobi, and Kakashi figured that due to his training in Mist, Kisame couldn't feel the emotions coming towards them. His own ANBU training dulled it somewhat, but the raw blood lust and killing intent he felt coming made him slightly ill. But Naruto had none of that sort of training, and as such, was quite susceptible to them.

Kakashi ventured a small glance over his shoulder and saw that Naruto had turned ashen grey, moaning slightly in fear.

"No... No… no, no, please no, not again."

Kisame's smirk widened. "Oh dear, the brat is already trembling with fear, and I haven't even started. Then again, I'm not as nice as easy as Kakuzu and Hidan. Although I'm surprised you managed to do them in. You Leaf-nin always were too soft"

Kakashi narrowed his eye. Time was running out. "Hate to tell you this, but I doubt it's you Naruto is scared of."

The smirk on Kisame's face was replaced with a snarl. "Cocky, aren't we? Well, we will see about that when you miss a limb or two."

He took a step forward, Samehada raised for attack when he froze, his face a mask of disbelief. "Impossible."

But it was quite possible. Just visible due to a torch on the wall on the border of their line of sight, they could see the werewolf staring at them with glowing amber eyes that had a frenzied edge in them, and Kakashi had the sinking feeling that Kisame's attack had only managed to enrage the creature even more.

The feeling was pretty much confirmed when the werewolf's gaze lingered a bit longer on Kisame and raised itself to its hind legs, bared all of its fangs in a feral snarl. And if Kakashi had any more doubts, those were dismissed when it sharpened its claws on its front paws, the walls apparently being suitable whetstones.

Kakashi took a quick glance at the others standing near him, and he didn't like the conclusion he came to. If the werewolf behaved like any other wolf, it would go for the weakest prey. In this case, Naruto. Naruto might have more chakra than then two others, but without access to that chakra and thus his techniques, he was a sitting duck. He might have improved his taijutsu during his training under Jiraiya, but both Kakashi and Kisame would maul him if they fought with taijutsu alone. And Kakashi didn't have the energy to concentrate at guarding himself and Naruto from that beast and on the same time keeping Kisame at bay if it came to it.

What he wanted Naruto to do might not be the smartest idea, but he doubted Kisame would just let them go. He lowered his voice, hoping Kisame would be more focused on the growls coming from the werewolf.

"Naruto, I want you to go into that safe room, close the door and stay there."

Naruto instantly went from afraid to defiant and stubborn. And unlike Kakashi, he didn't bother lowering his voice.

"No way in hell, Kakashi-sensei! I'm going to help you out against those two monsters! You can't take on both of them at the same time! You aren't in your prime anymore!"

Kakashi blinked a couple of times. He had expected Naruto to protest, but not the last remark. Kisame was clearly holding back a laugh and the werewolf hadn't really moved, but it was giving all of them calculating looks, as if assessing which one would be the easiest to kill first. And when it took a step forward, Kakashi realized time was about to run out.

As Naruto focused on the werewolf again, Kakashi jumped into action. He swiftly dealt a blow to Naruto's neck, knocking him unconscious, and before Kisame could even blink, Kakashi hurled Naruto into the safe room, slamming the steel door shut.

The door had barely closed completely before it seemed to merge with the wall. Kisame's eyes never strayed from the creature, nor did he turn his head, but Kakashi could still hear the anger in his snarl.

"You just made my mission much more complicated, Copy-Ninja."

Kakashi ventured a glance at the taller ninja before setting his eye on werewolf, who had taken a step more towards them, but seemed to be recalculating something. It was uncanny how intelligent it actually seemed.

But now that he thought about it, Kakashi wasn't quite sure if he made the right choice. If Akatsuki or this creature got a hold of Naruto, it would mean certain death. With Orochimaru Naruto had chance at surviving, but would probably be emotionally and mentally scarred for life. It would take a lot of therapy with Inoichi Yamanaka, Ibiki Morino and Tsunade to get past this. If he survived this, that is. Kakashi just hoped that Remus had somehow escaped and was heading for the Leaf Village and alert Tsunade so she could send reinforcements. Unless he had already been killed by the beast. But he didn't have time to dwell on that as the werewolf took another step forward.

"Yeah, well. No reason to make it easy for lunatics, right?"

Kisame growled, clearly wanting to kill Kakashi. But then he gave a smirk. "You do realize that the brat called you old, right?"

Kakashi internally groaned. He really wished Naruto hadn't said that, but just as he was about to come up with a retort, the werewolf let out a roar as it got on all fours and charged. Kisame let out a curse before clapping his hands together, Samehada tucked under his arm.

"Water Element: Water Bullet!"

But apparently the beast was smarter than they thought, for it jumped over the ball of compressed water and the attack hit several feet behind it. Kisame cursed and let out a smaller barrage of water bullets, but the werewolf evaded them all by jumping from wall to wall, not losing its speeds as it advanced.

When Kisame saw the beast dodge his attacks and gaining momentum, he let out growl while readying Samehada before charging towards the creature. They clashed midway, Kisame pinning the werewolf to the wall with a well aimed swing with Samehada.

Kisame smirked, convinced he had won. He had put so much power into the swing he could in those narrow corridors, but it was still enough to break a couple of ribs. But he should have learned that this was not his ordinary opponent.

In the next moment, the werewolf brought down both arms, or forelegs, on Samehada with such force that Kisame nearly lost his grip on the sword. He was so surprised that he barely had time to bring up his right arm to shield himself from the beast's attack. But even so, Kisame stumbled backwards, two gashes on his arm and three slashes on his face.

But the pain caused by the wounds seemed to have snapped Kisame out of it as he successfully parried the series of violent and savage blows the werewolf threw his way. Only problem was that he was used to fighting human shinobi, who had underwent taijutsu training, meaning he usually had a rough idea where a blow or kick was going to fall based on how his opponent moved. Add to that, but Kisame also had the disadvantage that he couldn't use his more serious water jutsus as his targets might drown.

And as he soon found, the beast had some serious power behinds its blows as it came close to disarming him more than once. But he guessed he shouldn't be surprised. Now that it stood on its hind legs and in its full height, and with Kisame up close, he realized how big the creature he was facing off against actually was.

Kisame was considered by many in the ninja world to be freakish tall as he stood 1,95, but even he and the boy with the orange hair on Sasuke's team who stood around 2,02 had nothing on the beast as it stood around 2,20.

'And people call me a behemoth and whatnot. I wonder what they will call this.'

But he paid dearly for the lapse in concentration as the werewolf hit him with its left paw, adding three slashes to his face's right side and knocking him off balance. Kisame was therefore not utterly surprised when the following strike sent him flying away, five deep gashes on the left side of his face.

Kakashi was shocked when Kisame came crushing down beside him, bleeding from several slashes. But he raised an curious eyebrow as black smoke started emerging from the wounds as they started to patch themselves up, although slowly.

"What the hell are you still doing here, Copy-Ninja? Get out of here while I occupy the beast."

Kakashi ventured a quick glance in the werewolf's direction that, much to his relief, hadn't advanced any further.

"No, can't do that. I'm afraid we will have to fight it together if we are to defeat it. If you want to capture me alive, you can't risk using your more serious jutsu I know you're capable of. And from the looks of it, it got the advantage in close-quarter-combat such as these."

Kisame grunted as he took the proffered hand and allowed Kakashi to help him on his feet. Once on his feet, they locked eyes, nodded once to each other before turning their attention on the beast. The irony of their current situation was not lost on either of the two men.

One of them hunted down and killed Jinchuuriki while the other would give his life protecting one of the hosts. That alone made them sworn enemies that gladly would kill the other without missing a beat should the opportunity present itself. Sworn enemies that now were, more or less anyway, forced to fight side by side to raise their chance of survival. Irony sure was a funny thing.

Kisame kept both eyes on the creature as he reached into his coat and after some time, pulled out a red scroll that he gave to Kakashi. Seconds later, Kakashi was equipped with a steel chain and four kunais.

"That chain was supposed to be for you. Let's do this, Copy-Ninja."

Kakashi just gave a curt nod, and together the two ninja charged as the werewolf began moving forwards on its hind legs. They moved as a well-oiled machine and as if they had done it a number of times. Kisame lowered Samehada slightly behind him, Kakashi jumped onto the tip and was in the next second hurled through the air as if being fired from a sling or catapult.

The werewolf hesitated for a moment, clearly confused by the new tactic and the hesitation was all Kakashi needed. He planted his food right in the face of the werewolf, sending it a few steps back with roar of pain and ducked expertly as Kisame swung Samehada full force, knocking the werewolf into the wall as the sword hit on the side of the head.

Kakashi moved to the side as Kisame dashed past him, swinging Samehada once again, this time hitting the creature squarely in the chest. Kisame let the blade rest there for the fraction of a second before pulling the blade towards himself.

The werewolf howled in agony as part of its chests was ripped open as Samehada shaved fur, skin and flesh alike with relative ease.

Seeing the werewolf somewhat stunned into inaction, Kakashi instantly leapt into action. He didn't know exactly how he did it, but he somehow managed to wrap the chain around the creature's throat and wrists, and before the werewolf could do anything more, Kakashi embedded two the kunais in the wall, stabilising the chain slightly.

"Kisame, the kunais!"

"Am on it!"

Kisame flawlessly gave each kunai a considerable thwack with Samehada, sending the kunais deep into the wall, even some of the chain, causing the chain to tighten further. Both Kisame and Kakashi straightened up and looked at their handiwork.

The werewolf was pinned to the wall by the chain, growling and snarling as it struggled to break loose.

Kisame grinned as he shouldered Samehada. "That was refreshing. Hasn't had such a tough opponent for some time. It has been quite awhile since I was last in a situation where teamwork was necessary for success."

Kakashi panted, bending slightly at the waist. He suddenly had newfound respect for Gai and his training methods. Glancing up, he locked eyes with Kisame and got somewhat of a shock.

Much to the surprise of Kakashi, he had found he wouldn't really mind working together with Kisame again as they had worked so well together. Add to that, but he found himself getting a growing respect for the taller ninja. And from the looks of it, it seemed Kisame was having the same thoughts.

"I never thought I would say this, Copy-Ninja, but I have a newfound respect for the philosophy, 'one for all, and all for one' that seems to rule your village."

Kakashi just gave a nod, still being somewhat out of breath. But Kisame's next words instantly got the adrenaline pumping through his body again.

"But I'm afraid that all good things must come to an end. I won't deny I wouldn't mind working together with you again, but our beliefs and my mission won't allow that. And with this monster out of the picture, I can now accomplish my mission. Now, are you going to come quietly or do I have to get rough again?"

Kakashi got into a defensive crouch, kunai at the ready. But just as Kisame took a step forward, there was a scrunching sound; metal being slowly dragged across stone.

Both spoke as one. "That doesn't sound good."

And it wasn't. When they looked around, they saw the werewolf struggling against it bonds, slowly but surely loosing the kunais in the wall. Then, with a roar, it gave one last mighty pull that yanked out both kunai and brought down part of the wall.

Both ninja stared in surprise and disbelief as the werewolf stood in front of the hole in the wall, panting heavily and with blood flowing freely from its chest. They observed it for almost one minute as it just stood there, hunched over, trying to regain its breath, the chain at its feet, broken when it had . The only reason they hadn't attacked was because it looked like it would keep over any moment. But they soon realized that was a grave mistake on their part.

The werewolf suddenly stopped wobbling on its legs and straightened up, staring at the two ninja with blood frenzied eyes. It had still blood running from its chest and its eyes were slightly unfocused, but both shinobi could see it was still more than ready for continuing the fight. Kisame swore as he stepped forward.

"Why you… just die, you filthy mongrel!"

He swung at the werewolf, but it took a step backwards, causing Kisame to miss. Letting out a roar, saliva flying before it hit Kisame in the face, the beast launched its counterattack. One swipe with its left paw send Samehada flying from Kisame's hands and Kisame let out a curse and then a hiss of pain as he felt the claws rip open the skin on his chest. The next blow, this time with its right paw, hit Kisame right in the face, sending him right the through the opposite wall, five deep bleeding gashes across his face.

The werewolf roared in triumph as it turned to face Kakashi next. The Leaf-ninja bid his time before lashing out at the creature the moment its head with the kunai, slicing it twice in the soft flesh around its mouth.

The creature let out a howl of pain and anger before giving Kakashi a violent push in the chest, disarming him and sending him down the corridor on his back.

Not one to waste time, Kakashi quickly got on his feet and did the first thing that came to mind: ran. But before he had moved a few steps, he heard the sound of wood splintering and turned around.

Kisame, with a bloodied face and clothes, glaring into the cell that he, from the sounds of it anyway, had kicked the werewolf into without opening the door first. Panting slightly, Kisame looked at Kakashi.

"What are you standing there for? It is going to take more than that to bring it down!"

He was quite right. The words had barely left his mouth before the werewolf jumped out of the cell, swiping at Kisame. The Mist-nin avoided the blows with inches and once he had his footing in order, he launched several punches at the werewolf. Two of the punches hit their marks, the werewolf's jaw, but the third was blocked.

The next thing Kisame knew was the creature taking a firm hold on the right side of his head, a snarl, and then his head hitting the wall with tremendous force. Then he heard the thumping of footfalls, the beast roar before it abandoned him and set into pursuit of Kakashi.

Kisame sat there for a few minutes, willing the blinking and black spots before his eyes to disappear. Suddenly, he felt the familiar feeling of Samehada in his hands. The sword had returned to its master and was already healing him, if only slightly. Kisame frowned, lost in thought.

'I don't understand it. Even after all those hits and chakra stolen from it, the monster was still going full throttle. Add to that, but the wounds inflicted by it aren't healing instantly, even with Samehada pouring all the chakra into the process. Why is that creature like that even here? If I didn't know any better, I would say this is one of Orochimaru's hideouts and that thing was a creation of his. But at least the Copy-Ninja got away. For now at least. He will be able to kill it with something in his arsenal. I guess he didn't use some of his jutsu since the Jinchuuriki was so close by.'

Kisame's frown deepened. Something wasn't right. 'But the Jinchuuriki has proved himself being able to take care of himself, even with friendly fire nearby. And the Copy-Ninja sure as hell wouldn't hold back with me nearby… no matter how fun it was to fight together with him, we are still enemies. So why did he rely on taijutsu skills?'

Kisame's eyes went wide and he swore in such a colourful language that could give Hidan a close run for his money. "That collar! It was blocking his chakra, making him unable to use any ninjutsu!"

And Kisame soon came to the conclusion that if that monster caught up with the Copy-Ninja, it would slaughter him as he didn't have his impressive jutsu arsenal to back him up. The thought of the famous Sharingan-Kakashi not being able to utilize his arsenal hadn't crossed Kisame's mind during the heat of the battle. Still swearing, and rage fuelling his willpower, Kisame stood up and sprinted after the beast and the person he came to fetch, following the trail of blood.

He couldn't believe he was risking his life for an enemy, again and during the same night, but he also knew that if the Leaf shinobi faced that beast again on his own, his target would be screwed.

00000

Kakashi panted as he ran, knowing the werewolf wasn't far behind. He had run upstairs, heading north the moment he had seen Kisame getting his head hit against the wall. But at least it seemed the werewolf was somewhat affected by the fight it just had been in. Kakashi could hear its panting and gasping for air, and it was running considerable slower that it had been.

Still, it didn't ease Kakashi's mind since his ANBU tattoo was still bleeding and thus the werewolf could still track him. Add to that, but he knew that if the creature got an efficient hold of him, he would most likely end as some of the Sound-nin he had seen on his way.

But it seemed luck was finally on his side. He had lost the werewolf a couple of minutes ago, as he had mixed his blood with the blood of what he assumed to be its victims. And as it was, he might have found a way out.

He was currently in the northern towers top room, the moon shining brightly down on him through the glass roof. He raised a delicate eyebrow when he had seen the door smashed to pieces. But what kinda disturbed him but also made him happy was that he had seen a shirt and pants belonging to a Leaf-shinobi, and he soon came to the conclusion that this was where Remus had been taken to.

He chuckled as he looked at the destroyed door. "It seems you are far more stubborn than any of us gave you credit for, Remus-san. It seems you wanted out. Hopefully, you are on your way back to the Leaf Village, the moonlight guiding you."

He looked up at the moon again. The full moon had always made him feel at ease, as he felt it was protecting him, helping him through all hardships and opponents he had ever faced. From when he became a genin and chuunin, his father's suicide, the loss of Obito, the Kyuubi attack, the deaths of Minato and Rin. It would help through this too. After all, it was in the light of the full moon Chidori, and in the battle against Kyuubi, Raikiri was born. Yes, it would help again tonight.

But he was brought out by his musing by a, by now, familiar growl. 'Damnit.'

Turning around to face the door again, Kakashi just got a glimpse of the werewolf before it lunged at him. Exhausted as he was, Kakashi didn't have the strength left to flip it off as it pinned him to the ground for the second time that night.

And before he could do anything to defend himself, the werewolf bit down, and Kakashi felt its teeth pierce the collar and the skin of his throat.

He barely registered the blood flowing from his neck as he was busy trying to push it away while thrashing around, being slowly suffocated as the creature tightened its jaws, threatening to crush his windpipe and neck alike.

Just when he was about to give in and accept death, it happened. But weakened as he was and with his vision blacking, it all happened in a blur to him.

Something metallic flying through the air, the sound of it wrapping around something softer, an angry roar and shouts that sounded like Kisame, the sound of feet leaving the floor, the sound of a chain being stretched and then the werewolf let out another roar as it was lifted from Kakashi. Then followed the sound of glass shattering, curses and roar and howls, two loud splashes and then silence.

As Kakashi regained his breath, the full moon came into focus again. Looking up at it as he gasped for breath, trying desperately to get oxygen into his lungs, he slowly raised his hands to his neck and throat. He felt his fingers become sticky with blood as he touched several puncture wounds, all of them around the size of his fingertips.

He tilted his head and spit out a bit of blood before looking up at the moon again. He chuckled internally, knowing he couldn't do it out loud.

'The moon must indeed be protecting me. Considering how many close calls I have had with that werewolf, I think I should consider myself lucky that I only got bitten. I hope Remus-san didn't run into the werewolf too.'

With that thought everything went black, unconsciousness claiming him.

End chapter 11.

AN: If you are thinking Moony was overpowered, bear with me. I wanted him to stand a fighting chance against some of the best so he wasn't being to be taken lightly in any form. I have always why werewolves were so feared in the Harry Potter, aside from the risk of infection, because the werewolf in Prisoner of Azkaban didn't impress me at all. Why he was so strong/powerful will be explained in next chapter along with why the chakra paper reacted the way it did.

And about Kisame being somewhat OOC. Well, I was kinda selfish about that. I have always wanted to see Kakashi & Gaara, Kakashi & Zabuza and Kakashi & Kisame in a team fight.

Ja ne.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: History Lessons and New Friends?

Kisame was in an extremely foul mood. Two nights ago, on the night of the first full moon, he had saved his target from getting his neck snapped by a monster. When Kisame had entered the room with the glass room, he had found Kakashi pinned to the floor by that wolf creature, and he knew he had to act fast.

He had drawn an iron chain from another scroll, and had tossed it like one would a lasso. The chain had wrapped successfully around the creature's neck. Kisame had roared several profanities as the beast refused to budge, and Kisame had come to a solution. He had jumped into the air, tightening the chain around the creature's neck as it was stretched. The werewolf had let out a roar as it was lifted from the Copy-Ninja by a powerful yank on Kisame's part the moment his feet latched onto the ceiling.

But he must have miscalculated the force he put into the pull or the agility and weight of the creature. To make a story short, the beast had managed to get a hold on Kisame's shoulders, its claws sinking into his flesh.

Result: Both had crashed through the window and plummeted into the lake below them. But even as they had fallen, the creature had tried biting him. It had come really close once, but fortunately Kisame had moved Samehada between himself and the teeth, making the creature bite Samehada instead.

And even while they were in the water, Kisame couldn't get the upper hand. Despite the creature being in the water, it still managed to prevent Kisame from forming any seals; it even managed to stop him from standing on the water.

It was only when he managed to get ashore he got rid of it. A water explosion from point-blank had sent it across the lake.

That was two nights ago, and his wounds hadn't completely healed yet. But at least they had stopped smoking and bleeding. But he couldn't help but wonder what kind of creature that thing was. But since that night, he hadn't seen it.

But that good thing was soon ruined when Zetsu appeared early in the morning, telling him he was a mess. It was all Kisame could do not to kill the plant man. But what worried him slightly was how Samehada looked.

The scales around the middle of the great sword had all turned a ghastly black colour where the creature had bit. Add to that, but Samehada had also released a lot of black smoke the previous day. But at least it seemed to get better.

The same couldn't be said for his cloak though and he had discarded, opting for one of his two spare ones.

But what really bothered him to no end was that his efforts to infiltrate the damn hideout had been an utter waste. Not to mention it now would be even harder to get back in. He walked around the lake, trying to clear his thoughts.

There was no longer any need to hide seeing how almost all of the patrolling ninja he had seen earlier had returned to the base. But then something caught his attention near the shore.

'Hmm? What do we have here?'

It was an unconscious man clad only in what Kisame guessed must be his boxer-shorts. The man looked worse for wear with bruises and healing cuts all over his body. Kisame couldn't help but be intrigued by the scars covering the man's body.

To him, they spoke of great battle lust and that he was a survivor; just like Kisame himself. Kisame quickly came to a decision. He swept the man up and tossed him onto his shoulders, carrying him into a clearing. Once there, he laid him down and got a fire going, waiting for the man to wake up. He even went so far to bandage his torso.

11111

'_Wake up, human._'

Remus groaned as he opened his eyes. His entire body hurt. Not that it was anything new, but aside from the pain that followed from having every bone in his body change and reform, he also felt the aches he usually would after being hit with several curses and stunners. Taking a quick glance around, he saw the canopy of leaves and a brightening sky, and he wondered why he could smell smoke and, much to his concern, blood that wasn't his own.

Tilting his head to the side, he saw quite a sight. A blue skinned man with several slashes on his face sat against a tree, his eyes closed. Beside him was what Remus guessed to be club of some sort. But still, it was the gashes that caught Lupin's attention, for he had a sinking feeling that he knew what had given him those wounds.

"So, you are finally awake."

Remus sat up, still a bit bleary eyed. It was only then he noticed the bandages. Looking closer at the man, he saw the pointy teeth and something on his cheeks that could go for gills, giving him a somewhat uncanny resemblance to a shark. But he wasn't about to mention that though. For despite his current appearance, Remus could tell the man was quite powerful. And it was confirmed by Moony's snarl.

'_If the grey haired one wasn't enough. This one is even more dangerous._'

The fact that Moony thought about this man of one not to be taken lightly set Remus on high alert, but he refused to let it show. Years with controlling his emotions in order to keep the wolf down, especially during his teenage years, allowed him to mask them almost as well as any who had mastered Occlumency when he so wished. He had even studied it, but only got to a most basic level. Not that he needed Occlumency though, Moony being a 24-7 shield safe from the period he had been caged. Very few wanted to tangle with the wolf on its own turf.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Remus addressed Kisame in a slightly raspy voice. "Not to sound rude or ungrateful but… who are you?"

Kisame grit his teeth slightly. Why was it that no one seemed to recognize him? He would have to do something about that. Then again, this guy seemed to have somewhat of a passable excuse seeing they had never met before.

"Kisame Hoshigaki. And who might you be?"

Remus, still slightly dazed, was about to tell him his real name but Moony's growl was all he needed as a warning. After all, his name would surely sound a bit strange in the ears of Kisame. He decided on the translation of the first name that came to mind, though slightly modified.

"Inu Kuro." A slight bow followed. "Thank you for bandaging me."

Kisame gave a stiff nod in acknowledgement. He was studying the man who had identified himself as Inu. He suspected that Inu loved battle, and his eyes fascinated Kisame. They bore witness of great struggle and had seen their share of combat and death. Add to that, but their bright amber colour spoke of power and great love, although Kisame was unsure about what kind of love. But on the same time, they also spoke of great menace, lurking deep within their depths.

But intrigued as he was, there was something about Inu that set him on edge. He hadn't sensed Inu at all during the last week, yet alone seen him.

"How did you get here, Inu? I haven't seen you around here before, nor have I sensed your presence till now. Tell me: What Village do you come from?"

Remus eyed Kisame warily. If Moony considered him dangerous, he better be careful. Judging from his clothing and his headband, Remus guessed Kisame was from another village. And seeing he didn't know too much, read almost nothing, of this world's history or political climate, he had nothing to tell him if Kisame came from a friendly or hostile country.

But from what he could remember from snippets from young children Kakashi had identified as Academy students, ones headband signified your loyalty and thus beliefs. Seeing how the insignia on Kisame's headband was scratched over, Lupin guessed that meant he didn't share his Village's beliefs.

But still, he would have to choose his words carefully. It was time he started thinking a bit as a shinobi. Especially if he wanted to survive.

"I'm only loyal to myself; people despise me, and I despise them. As for how I got here… I escaped an underground prison a couple of nights ago."

Now that prodded Kisame's curiosity. But there was something fishy about that explanation. For instance why people despised him but the explanation also made him suspicious.

"An underground prison you say? Would you mind explaining how it looked like?"

Remus tensed, if only slightly. He had heard the distrust in Kisame's voice and seen him starting to reach for the club. If it came to a fight, Remus would lose horrible. He would need at least one day to recover his full strength from this latest transformation. So he quickly explained what he could remember from when he was dragged from where Kakashi was to the tower with the glass roof.

In the next moment, Remus found himself pinned to a tree by one of Kisame's hands, feet dangling above the ground. Kisame growled as Lupin tried prying his hand off, and he instantly tightened his grip.

"Liar. How could a weakling like you survive facing that wolf-like beast? How did you escape in the first place, with that beast and Sound-nin running around?"

Lupin gasped for breath. He would have to come up with something, and fast, before he ran out of oxygen.

"Don't know… just… ran. Beast… heels… up… stairs. Beast… I… know… how to… avoid it."

Kisame instantly let go and Remus dropped to the forest floor, panting and gasping for air, taking in as much he could to his oxygen deprived lungs. As he massaged his windpipe, he glanced up and saw Kisame staring down at him with a calculating expression, clearly weighing the merit of his earlier words.

"Tell me. Tell me how to avoid that monster."

It wasn't a request. It was an order. But Remus knew that if he wanted see another day, he should not tell him anything. There was no doubt in his mind that Kisame would kill him the moment he had the information he wanted. He was no Slytherin, but cunning had brought him out of trouble more than once. But he also knew that if he was caught in lying here, he would end up dead. Time for a different approach. He was not a Gryffindor for nothing.

Mustering as much courage as he could in his fatigued state, he met Kisame's stare with defiant eyes.

"Why?"

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. Kisame's eyes narrowed dangerously and he raised the club.

"Because if you don't tell me, you die."

At that Remus couldn't help a small grin forming. "And after I tell you, you are going to kill me anyway. I'm not a fool."

Kisame growled and started bringing down Samehada, when Lupin spoke again, still smiling.

"One thing before you kill me: What were doing in that prison?"

Kisame halted mid-swing and raised Samehada to its starting position. Was this another trick? Was he stalling him so others could sneak up on him? Glancing around and sensing no danger, Kisame decided it couldn't hurt to answer Inu. It couldn't him at least… Inu was a different matter though.

"A couple of my friends are down there. One has silver hair and around thirty years. The other is boy with blond hair and whiskers on his cheek. Now, goodbye, Inu."

Remus felt his eyes widen. Kisame was looking for Kakashi and Naruto, but he very much doubted they were friends. Nevertheless, he needed all the help he could get if he was to attempt rescuing them. And seeing he had no idea where he was, returning to Leaf was out of the question. Thinking quickly, he came up with words that might prod Kisame's curiosity and enlist his help.

"My death would mean your funeral."

The weapon stopped its descend inches from Lupin's hair. Kisame growled. "And what is that nonsense supposed to mean? I think you got something mixed up here. Your death means your funeral, not mine."

Remus looked up into the Mist-nin's eyes, a smile tugging in his lips. So far so good. Now to the more difficult part.

"That beast is only one out of two monsters. The other monster, a three-headed wolf lurks down there too. It's even harder to escape than the other. I should know, as it has given me all those scars. But I can control the monster for some time, slow it down. I even came close to putting it completely under my command. It's my special power and chakra."

'_Don't tell such blatant untruths, human. You never controlled me while I was free, never will._'

Remus just continued, ignoring Moony's indignant scowl. He would have to speak in terms Kisame would understand.

"It's my chakra that allows me to control it; it's special. Watch."

Moony decided that he could spare some energy to back up Remus' story. He didn't like Remus trying to gain Kisame's trust on the expense of Moony's pride, but dying was not on his to-do-list.

Kisame jumped back as black chakra suddenly sprang to life around Inu, batting away Samehada. Narrowing his eyes in contemplation, Kisame pondered his next move. It could prove very useful to have that sort of power in his back should he encounter that wolf with three heads. It would actually be downright foolish to ignore the possibilities of such power.

But the man kneeling in front of him still looked weak and from the looks of it, his chakra control was to the rats. Knowing he might regret it later, Kisame came to a decision.

'Besides,' he though with a small smirk, 'I can always ditch him should that creature show itself.'

"You have convinced me, Inu-san. You will live. As a thank-you for bandaging you, I want one thing in return." He paused when he saw the other man looking at him, golden eyes looking into white ones. "One week from now, I will try infiltrating that prison again. I want you to accompany me. Should that three-headed wolf show up, I want you distracting it while I kill it. Until that time, I will test your chakra control and taijutsu skill, perhaps even teach you a thing or two. Is that clear?"

Remus nodded. It was better than he could hope. But the grin Kisame sent his way made him slightly nervous. "Don't expect me going easy on you. Now, get some rest. You are going to need it.

Lupin gave another and lay down. But just as he closed his eyes, they snapped open and he sat up. Kisame quirked an eyebrow as he saw Inu looking at him, rubbing his neck nervously.

"What?"

Still rubbing his neck and knowing that he probably pushing it, Remus chose his words carefully. "I don't suppose you have any extra clothes? I would prefer not facing opponents like this."

Kisame growled a bit before reaching into his cloak, causing Remus to tense slightly. But the latter blinked he saw the shark-looking ninja withdrew a scroll. And Lupin was sure he was gaping stupidly as Kisame moved his hand to the centre of the scroll, and a small cloud of smoke later, held a cloak identical to his own and a couple of ninja-shoes.

Kisame eyed the other man for a second and gave a disdainful snort as he tossed the cloak and shoes to the man who had identified himself as Inu. "These are my last spare clothes. Don't rip them."

Remus gave a grateful smile as he quickly dressed in the offered cloak. It was bit too large for him, especially in the sleeves and around the shoulders, but that was the lesser of his current concerns.

Moony snorted. '_I know you are worried about the grey-hair and the blond boy, but you have other things to worry about. But I got to hand it to you, you got a smooth-tongue and quite a bit of guts._'

Remus internally groaned as he closed his eyes again. 'Why thank you. Let me worry about my own business, okay. But now that I got your attention; we need to talk.'

1-Remus mindscape, Moony's den-1

Lupin once again found himself in the clearing with the large stone, Moony lying on top of it, apparently licking a wound on his leg. He did seem worse for wear. Remus could easily spot big smears of blood in Moony's fur, especially near his chest. But knowing the regeneration abilities of the wolf, he was sure it was just blood Moony hadn't removed yet.

When Moony noticed Lupin, he turned his towards him, curiosity written all over his face. "Remus, I think this the first time you have come here completely of your own will. What do I owe the pleasure?"

Remus glared. Even now, the wolf was still trying to toy with him. "I want answers. I want to know why I was brought to this world. And more importantly, what I can do to get back home."

Moony was silent for a minute or so, but then he began laughing. And quite loudly at that. Lupin grit his teeth as the sound began grounding on his ears.

"What is so funny?"

It took almost another minute for Moony's laughter to subside to a quiet chuckle. Once he had calmed himself, Moony looked at Remus.

"You got it all the wrong way, human. _This _world is my home. It's the home of werewolves. Or at least, where we have our origins."

Remus frowned in contemplation. It didn't really make any sense to him. "Is supposed to be your idea of a joke?"

"No, it's the truth. Whether you want to believe it or not is up to you. But to even have a chance of understanding it, you need the full story behind the werewolves."

Lupin's frown deepened to the extreme. Then he let out a little sigh. "Tell me. Tell me the full story behind the werewolves."

Moony almost fell down from the rock in sheer surprise. He hadn't expected Lupin to say that. To his knowledge, no man had ever shown interest learning about history of the wolves within their minds.

"Are you serious, Remus? Do you, Remus John Lupin, really want to know about the history of the werewolves?"

Remus gave a slight nod, eyes shining with determination. "Yes. You said you guesses usually are good, so I'm interested in hearing them. Seeing I'm blank as to why we ended up here, it can't harm to listen to you in this matter."

Moony couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was aware his voice had been laced with sarcasm before, but hearing the honesty in Lupin's voice, he now felt certain Remus was actually interested.

The wolf gracefully jumped from the stone and landed next to Remus. "Come, Remus. Let's take a walk."

With that the wolf walked into the forest, Remus by his side. Moony looked at Lupin, took a breath, and began the tale."

"This is all something I know by blood memories that have been passed down from generation to generation. It all began with Fenrir…"

At that Lupin cut in. "I don't want your lies, I want the truth."

Moony scowled. "It's the truth."

Lupin narrowed his eyes and glared at Moony. "You want to tell me Fenrir Greyback is the first werewolf ever and came from this world? I'm not stupid."

Moony growled in response, returning the glare full force. "I didn't say you were."

Remus' face shifted from angry to confused. "Then why did you say it all began with Fenrir Greyback? He is not…"

Moony let out a disgusted and disdainful snort. "Morgan LeBrute was a monster long before he got bitten. He embraced the power the wolf offered with open arms, and the wolf took over with ease, their lust for maiming and blood feeding the other. Today he is known by Fenrir Greyback, the name of his wolf, but his human birth name is Morgan LeBrute."

"Then why…"

Moony cut in before Remus could utter another word. "I was talking about the ancestor of us all, Fenrir, the great wolf. If you have studied Norse mythology, you will know who I'm talking about."

Remus cocked an eyebrow. "The Fenrir Wolf, son of Loki? He is nothing but a myth, pure superstition."

Moony shook his head. "Even a myth has some truth in it. Lord Fenrir is, or at least was, quite real. Now… will you listen without anymore interruptions?"

Remus gave a stiff nod. He didn't believe in Fenrir, but after all what had happened, he was about ready to believe in anything. Moony flashed him small smile. They had reached a river, the water flowing slowly, the epitome of calmness. Moony sat down at the riverbank, and after some hesitation, Remus took a seat next to the wolf. None of them would attack the other.

Remus needed rest to recover from the last transformation, and Moony was intend on being awake during Kisame's training. After all, when the human learned, so did the wolf. Moony took another glance at the man beside him, before looking out over the river, and continued his tale.

"Long ago, this world was almost destroyed by a beast with unimaginable power. Its power was so great it would make the strongest of dragons look like a harmless lizard. Wherever that creature showed, it left death, ruins and despair in its wake. Until a man of equal unfathomable power stood up to it. Somehow, he defeated it. But he didn't kill it. Its powers were far too great for that. I doubt anyone, be they from this or your world, know how he did it, but years later, he splits the creature's power into nine pieces. Or so he thought. Do you follow me so far?"

Remus glanced at the wolf before focusing his attention on the river. "I think so. I can't say I understand it, so I won't. But even so, I don't see how this is connected to you, me, or any other werewolf in the first place."

Moony chuckled. "I suppose so. I come to that now. As I said, the man split the beast's power into nine pieces and he hid away the carcass where no man can reach it; inside this world's moon. But unbeknownst to him, a tenth division happened. A tiny fragment of the beast's power and life-force escaped his notice. It drifted around, looking for host if you will, as it would disappear into nothingness without a body. It found one… it found a wolf."

The wolf glanced at Remus, making sure he was still following. Lupin's nod was all he needed.

"The wolf got extreme strength and speed, longer life, enhanced senses and intelligence far superior to any wolf before it. But unfortunately, a bit of the creature's blood thirst was transferred to the wolf. Its powers, and thus bloodlust, would be strongest during the full moon; when the remaining life-force inside the carcass would reach the wolf's eyes. But one day, it attacked the wrong prey. It fought a man."

Remus nodded, urging Moony to continue. He was, to say the least, intrigued. "Continue, Moony."

Moony smiled. "No one knows how or why, but I guess the man felt the original beast inside the wolf. He cut a hole in the borders between the dimensions and forced the wolf through that hole. Once he was sure the wolf was through, he closed the portal. The world the wolf came to was your world. And that wolf was Fenrir."

Moony took a deep breath. "Fenrir was young back then. But he soon found out he couldn't reproduce like the other wolves. He had to find a way to ensure his bloodline's survival. Around one century later, he had developed a virus that would ensure that. He would bite other wolves, transferring the virus to them. The virus would make them like him to some degree. But he would only bite one every year, ensuring new blood could arise. After all, if he bit every wolf he saw and his sons and daughters continued doing that, there would soon be no more normal wolves and their line would die. Any questions so far?"

Remus nodded. "Two questions. 1: You said the wolf's powers and blood lust would be greatest during the full moon when the life-force inside the carcass of that creature would reach the wolf's eyes. I suppose that is why werewolves transform on the first night of the full moon?"

Moony nodded and Remus went on. "So are you saying the dimensions share the moon?"

At this Moony shook his head. "No. I'm only guessing here, but I guess the light from your world's moon was so similar to the light of this moon that the creature's life-force, or chakra as people in this world call it, inside the wolf was tricked. And is still being tricked this day. The other question?"

Remus tried taking it all in. He would have to contemplate it all later. "Right. Second question: How could a bite make normal wolves like him?"

Moony frowned. "Again, I'm only guessing. I suppose the virus somehow changed the wolves' DNA. But remember, Remus: Most of what I have told you so far are from memories passed on through the bites. And so long time has passed since then that most of it are vague and foggy at best. What I tell you is only what we know for sure. Shall I continue?"

Lupin gave a nod, pushing the information he just had told to the back of his mind. He briefly wondered how many humans had been granted the knowledge he was being bestowed. Assuming Moony's wasn't playing tricks, that is.

"Please continue."

Moony smiled. "Yes. Now, where was I? Oh yes. Making other wolves like himself by biting them. Fenrir and his, in lack of better a better word, offspring, fed on animals with the occasional blood rage every month when it was full moon. However, as human started increasing in numbers, so did the competition for prey. The human race's ability to reproduce and survival rate was exceptional and without precedent. And with the occasional killed werewolf, we would soon face extinction. Something had to be done… we had to find a new source of food. We started specializing in humans, just like some lions specialize in elephants and whatnot. Humans had driven our prey away and continued doing so as they expanded their territory so to speak. It was only natural we would start hunting for something else. Till that point, we werewolves had avoided humans as much as we could. I suppose it was because after his encounter with the man that sent him to this world, Fenrir feared humans to some extent."

Remus frowned slightly. "I guess that is why today's werewolves are only dangerous to humans? Because in the past, humans was their main source of food?" Moony nodded in response. "Carry on."

Moony gave a wry grin. "It continued that way for many years to come. But when the first wizards began harnessing their powers during the rise of the ancient Greece and Troy, they suddenly posed a big threat to us. And as mankind in general continued increasing its numbers and claimed more and more land, the normal wolves' hunting territories were reduced dramatically. To begin with, we moved with them, but the humans, wizards especially, followed us, hunting us down. While we had specialized in humans before those events, we were not used to them deliberately hunting us. And it didn't become any better for our survival rate as a species that the normal wolves more or less was growing immune to our virus."

Moony took a deep breath, taking in some much needed oxygen. Then he stood and lowered his head, drinking from the river. Once done, he took his seat again.

"Instinctively, we knew our survival chances were dropping. We needed a new source to increase our numbers yet again. That new source was man. The original virus mutated, so it now was targeting humans, turning them into wolves once bitten. Our DNA and life-force, in this world called chakra, overran and rewrote their DNA, making them like us. They were never able to change into humans ever again. But it had it setbacks. The new werewolves, as that was the name they got then as we had been called demons and whatnot till then, got some human characteristics, making them easy to identify for what they were. Mankind, especially the magical, continued developing spells and means that could kills us, and they protected the non-magical, hoping to make it harder for us."

He took another drink. His throat was becoming awfully dry while telling the history of the werewolves.

"The over the years, the virus mutated once again. It would now turn them into wolves on the first full moon, and then they would stay wolves. It would keep the balance somewhat as the new wolves would be able to hide until the first full moon, making them less likely to be identified by the normal human population. But soon the magical community learned to read the symptoms and they attacked the would-be-wolves while they were still in human form. Soon the virus mutated again. This time they would change back once the full moon had passed. They became harder to identify while in human-shape and the wolves developed some magical resistance and immunity to normal weapons. But even the non-magical community caught on and found way to harm us. The most efficient was coating their arrows and like in extract from the wolfsbane plant, making them deadly to us. But we could still kill them with relative ease."

Remus had problems taking it all in. His world and head were spinning. It was too much. He knew many authors who wrote about werewolves were bigoted and biased and whatnot as many laws were being written based on those books, but he knew better than most than perhaps one tenth in those books held any merit. But to think the werewolves, as a race, was that old and had such an origin was quite spectacular and somewhat amazing. Still he had lost track of time and something was bothering him.

"Two questions, Moony. One: Time wise, when are we now? And two: All books says that werewolves have bushy tails and that kind of stuff. But I know from the descriptions provided by my friends that I have none of that. How can that be?"

Moony nodded and moved his shoulders, trying to get the kinks out of them. "I think we are nearing the 13th century now. As for the bushy tail: We continued looking more and more like a mix of wolf and man once transformed. Around the 16th century, our latest visible evolution came. We lost our tail as it was a hindrance in a fight... too easy for someone to get a hold of to hinder our movements. We now had the looks you friends described, although we varied in size and that kind of stuff. We haven't changed since then; or at least, our appearance hasn't. Since then, our senses, brute force, speed, spell resistance, regeneration abilities and rate, and, for some us, intelligence, are the things that have improved."

Remus nodded and tilted his head from side to side, trying to get a couple of the kinks out of his neck. He stood up, Moony following suit. As they began walking back towards Moony's den, he asked something that had been on his mind since he learned about the original werewolves.

"There is something I don't understand. If what you have told me about the evolutions of werewolves are true, then how can it be that werewolves that looks pretty much like first ones, the ones in the books, are seen from time to time, and even effect people?"

Moony stopped and sat down, scratching his ears. "There are several possibilities… the ones you talk about are most remnants of the older generations, perhaps even from the first and second generation, werewolves that survived through the years that has passed since then. I never said the older generations died out completely, did I? Another one is that mankind has grown accustomed to our generation that they have forgotten about the older ones, and as such, they are letting down their guards. A third possibility is that they have bitten by a werewolf of one of the older generations."

That caused Remus to frown deeply. "And how do you suggest those stayed alive that long? It's impossible."

At this Moony almost laughed as he shook his head. "Not quite. I'm only guessing now, but I assume the ones who could never take human form ever again hid among the normal wolves while those that could return to human shape hid in the normal population or retreated to a secluded area. Then they bit humans who then travelled across the borders of the countries and whatnot. That, or the werewolves simply went into hiding in the woods. And you forget we were born who might have lived longer than any dragon to date. Combine that with our regeneration rate and ability… I think you get it now."

He paused. "You need to understand this, Remus… Werewolves didn't decide to evolve of their own free will, nor did they evolve from one day to another. It was a natural reaction, although I will agree we evolved faster than most species."

Remus nodded. Then he asked some last questions. " After what you have told me, why didn't try eating James, Sirius and Peter back then? Also, you said Fenrir Greyback was the name of the wolf within Morgan LeBrute? Then, what is you name?"

Moony smirked slightly, then smiled. "For starters, normal animals haven't been on the werewolves for centuries. Add to that that I was young and wanted company. My full name? Moony Fenrir Greyback Lunar Eclipse Fenrir, at your service." His face lit up into a full blown smirk. "Last bit of info that might surprise you?"

Remus prepared for being told Moony had tricked him yet again. Then he gave a slight inclination of his head. Moony's smirk widened slightly.

"Like everything else, the blood vanes through the generation. However, Fenrir Greyback Lunar Eclipse Fenrir, as his full name is, is in fact a direct descendant of the very first werewolf, Fenrir. Thus, I'm a direct descendant of the original werewolf Fenrir, and thus, by default, so are you."

Remus' head was spinning madly with this last bit of information, and as he drifted into sleep, he heard Moony laughing cheerfully. Moony's cheerful laugh was what convinced Remus that, for once, the wolf had been telling the truth.

End chapter 12.

An: Was the explanation for Moony's strength good enough when combining what he told about evolution and small suble hints I dropped, or do I need to focus a bit more on that part?


	13. Chapter 13

Thanks to all of those who have reveiwed so far. And thanks to those have added me to their story favourites and story alerts. Now, without further ado, on with the story. Enjoy

Chapter 13: Light in the Dark.

Jiraiya winced as another bottle of saké smashed against the wall. He had been just about to infiltrate the Hidden Village of Rain in order to gather intelligence on the Akatsuki leader when a messenger hawk had found him, ordering him to return to Konoha right away.

Usually, he would have returned after his mission, especially one as important as that one, but he had read the entire scroll before burning it. But he almost wished he hadn't.

According to Tsunade, Kakashi along with Naruto and this Remus Lupin, had disappeared on a mission. Usually, Jiraiya wouldn't have been too concerned about that. He knew all too well how many tight spots Kakashi had been in during his career. He could take care of himself and give his captors hell if he put his mind to it. Besides, any man, or rather teenager, who could comment on Tsunade's breast size in her younger years while being within range of her fists and get away with it without a single scratch on his body was indeed a survivor.

He wasn't too worried about Remus either, seeing he didn't know him too well. Besides, Remus was still listed in the ANBU's 'suspect' files.

No, he was worried about Naruto. The boy was very dear to him, and Jiraiya would give his life any day if it meant Naruto would survive. And he knew Kakashi and Tsunade would too.

But what really unnerved him was how they went missing. Who had ever been abducted by reading a scroll? Add to that, but it wasn't really encouraging what Yamato had to report:

They had been able to follow the trail of three chakra signatures north for about two kilometres due to Hinata's Byakugan and then additional 3 kilometres with the combined forces of Shino's bugs and Kiba's nose. But then the trail ran out and they hit a dead end.

That was around a week ago now, and it was just around dawn, the last of three nights with full moon had finally passed. Jiraiya didn't know why, but full moons had always made him feel uneasy. And those three last nights had been no exceptions. He couldn't shake the feeling that something had happened.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he focused on Tsume Inuzuka with her large wolf-dog companion Kuromaru, Shibi Aburame, Anko Mitarashi and Aoba Yamashiro. Tsunade looked at each of them, fingers steepled in front of her.

"Any luck? Did you find anything?"

Tsume shook her head. "No Hokage-sama. We were able to follow the trail Team Kakashi and the team my son is on about five kilometres further, but that was it. There is nothing on the black markets either."

Tsunade let out a sigh. It was only due to his long time of friendship with the blond woman Jiraiya picked up the telltales sign of anger setting in that would be replaced with despair and then grief. The minimal tightening of her fingers, the small gritting of teeth and the slight narrowing of her eyes.

"Thank you. You are dismissed."

The four ninja and animal nodded before walking out the door. Tsunade glanced around, apparently looking for other things to destroy that wouldn't upset Shizune or give her slaves, eh, Izumo and Kotetsu more work.

"Which squads do we miss?"

Jiraiya quickly scanned the room, looking for some unwelcome company or things Tsunade could take her temper out on. Seeing neither, he locked eyes with Tsunade.

"None, Tsunade. That was the last group."

Tsunade felt tears starting to well up in her eyes. The Brat almost never failed in leaving some sort of trace for his comrades so they could track him. And when he had failed, he had always made sure he was the only one taken captive and then he escaped with any means necessary. However, with the Boy or Brat II as she often called Naruto, Kakashi's chances of escape had taken a heavy blow.

And whoever had them would have an effective way to keep them docile as they would say and do anything to keep the other out of harm's way. But just as she was about to voice her concerns, a bird shriek was heard. Turning around in her chair, she saw a peregrine falcon heading towards them.

It landed gracefully on the windowsill, eyeing the room's occupants as if expecting to get something. Jiraiya raised an eyebrow.

"No note attached to it. Tsunade, do you know this bird?"

Tsunade shook her head. "No, I have no idea who uses falcons."

"I bring you news, Hokage-sama. Me and my companion was investigating a rumour that reached our master, and we were instantly send to investigate. The rumour stated unusual activity around the ruins of the Hebizuka Castle."

If Tsunade and Jiraiya was surprised by a talking falcon, they hid it well. But still, they had a hard time hiding their shock at the mention of the old castle. They glanced at each other, a sinking feeling in their guts. Tsunade spoke for both of them.

"Continue."

00000

Madara sat on the head of his statue near in The Valley of the End, staring into the face of Hashirama Senju, contemplating his next move.

He had called Pain back from the planned invasion of the Leaf when he heard through Zetsu that the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi had turned missing. There was no reason to send in his strongest pawn without good cause. Add to that, but there was still no word from Kisame about progress of the mission, so it would be good with back-up plan should Kisame fail. He wasn't too worried though. Kisame had most likely just ran into some little problem. But was worried him was the coordinates of the location the Hatake brat was kept prisoner.

The Hebizuka Castle. Now that brought back memories, and they were not good. It was the second time the Hatake clan had crossed him, thwarting his plans.

It had been some time after Madara left the Leaf, bent on revenge. He had taken the old castle of Hebizuka and the clan under his command fair and square by defeating their leader in combat. But unbeknownst to him, and apparently Hashirama too, the Hatake clan head, Satanmo 'Devil Wolf' Hatake, the oldest son of Kashisamo 'Blind Wolf' Hatake and the man who years later would father Sakumo Hatake, had followed him to the castle, his clan right behind him.

When they learned of his plans to build a Village or army to challenge Leaf and seeking out the Kyuubi, they had attacked in numbers. The fight had been bloody to say the least and the Hebizuka clan was terminated except two children, and the castle was set ablaze and burned to the ground. Satanmo almost got to Madara too, if something hadn't changed the tides.

The Kyuubi had appeared and Madara had instantly bend it to his will. The Hatake clan had fled then, taking the children with them, the Kyuubi and Madara hot on their heels. But much to Madara's chagrin, the Hatake's made it back to the village, alerting Hashirama to the threat.

'But,' Madara mused, 'something good came out of it. After all, half the Hatake clan was killed back then. Hmm?'

A sound to his left caught his attention, and it wasn't long before the mantle of a plant emerged from the stone. The mantle parted, revealing Zetsu's face.

"Any news from Kisame, Zetsu?"

"_**Yes. It appears the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki was taken hostage alongside the Copy-Ninja.**_"

The white part continued where the black part left off. "Kisame looked worse for wear, but he didn't elaborate further. From the looks of it, I would say some beast attacked him. But I have no idea of what kind of beast could inflict that sort of damage."

Madara frowned behind his mask. He had an idea of what that beast was, and he didn't like it. "What about the Kyuubi and Copy-Ninja?"

The white part of Zetsu frowned, but it was the black part that answered. "_**According to Kisame, the Copy-Ninja got the Kyuubi to safety. And from what I could gather, Kisame saved the Copy-Ninja from death.**_"

The white side continued. "Perhaps we should bring in Pain? From the sounds of it, it was a very close call for both targets."

Madara's frown deepened. 'Should I bring in Pain? Success would be guaranteed. But Orochimaru would make a run for it and most likely kill the Jinchuuriki the moment he senses Pain. I can't risk that.'

"No, we will let Kisame handle things for now. You must have me excused. I have to make sure my guest room is sufficient when the Hatake brat drops in."

With that both Akatsuki members took their leave.

22222

-Hogwarts, May 9 1998-

Harry stared at his Head of House, his mouth reaching the floor. And he guessed Ron's reaction was very much the same. Hermione was the first to snap out of the stupor that seemed to have hit all three teenagers.

"But Professor, that is impossible! We can only travel hours, perhaps a day or two back in time. So how can it even be possible that Professor Lupin should have travelled in time?"

The lips of Minerva McGonagall thinned to a fine line, nostrils flared and her eyebrow twitched a bit as she looked at the Golden Trio. Glancing at Kingsley Shacklebolt, she chose her words carefully.

"Harder than time-travel, yes. But it is far from impossible. Actually, one would think at least a couple of students from this school would dimension-travel each year."

All she got out of that was three gobsmacked teenagers. Kingsley chuckled at their expression. "If I may, Professor?"

McGonagall just nodded her consent as she took a seat behind her desk in the headmistress' office as Kingsley spoke.

"Nine out of ten times when a wizard or witch has travelled to another dimension, it was because of two or multiple spells mixing or because of an experiment gone wrong. And nine out of ten who travelled to another dimension, on purpose or not, either died, disappeared or ended up insane."

Hermione frowned in contemplation. "But if that is the case, then why don't students disappear frequently? Or why isn't it mentioned in history books or something?"

Harry had to admire Hermione's brainpower when it was on work. But much to his confusion, both Kingsley and some of the portraits started laughing. When he had calmed himself enough, Kingsley spoke with humour in his voice.

"The only students who might have known about dimension-travel is those who have taken History of Magic and Charms on N.E.W.T level. Imagine eleven years-old trying to create passages to another dimension; poor Madam Pomfrey wouldn't have a moment's peace. Why? Because people still in school don't have the magical powers to create such passages. Add to that, but most spells powerful enough create those openings are borderline or dark magic."

His voice had grown serious at the last part, and he continued in a somewhat dark tone. "The Department of Mysteries has been researching the possibilities for dimension-travel and kept an eye on private persons who have tried for quite some time now. The last confirmed, and registered, dimension-traveller was a Danish wizard in 1868. Like many before him, he was insane the moment he returned. And he had only be gone for three days. The healers at St. Mungo reported that he kept saying the same words, apparently at random."

Kingsley looked each of them in the eye. "He kept talking about a huge fox-like creature with nine tails, a man with red eyes and a man that could create wood and trees out of thin air."

Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged glances. What they just had been told was against all the laws they knew for what was possible, even in the magic world. Harry frowned a little as a thought occurred to him.

"Wait a second. You said the spells that created those passages or portals usually were dark or bordered to it. Then how come Remus travelled to another world? Or that I saw him when I held the Resurrection Stone? Remus would never use dark magic."

Minerva smiled, but she wasn't about to mention some of the darker episodes in Remus' past. But she did knew was that Harry's loyalty and observant eye would get him far. And she was happy they all had agreed to take their seventh year and thus complete their education, though she suspected Hermione might have had played a role in that. She let out a sigh, knowing what she was about say might not be received well.

"Mr. Potter, what you say about Mr. Lupin is correct. However, you mustn't forget that he is a werewolf. The magic in werewolves are old and we have very little knowledge about it seeing how it's very werewolves who allow research being conducted on them. Not that you can actually blame them. We wizard and witches have, for the most part, only conducted research on things like how to avoid them, their magical properties and how to kill them. Ashamed as I'm to admit it, but we are no different from muggles in that aspect."

Dumbledore nodded sagely in his portrait. "As you travel through life you will come to realize that very few monsters of this world are the ones with fangs and claws. No animal, be it magical or not, kills with such frequency, savagery and cruelty and in so many different ways than man. While not all creatures that are considered dark are innocent, a lot of confrontations with them would not take place if wizards and witches just let them be. Just with non-magical animals. Most of them only kill what they need to survive, but when humans enters and take away their natural territories, conflicts are bound to happen."

Harry nodded his understanding, although he didn't quite believe Dumbledore. But he didn't have the energy to discuss it. He was hoping for a bit of quiet, but with upcoming funerals and celebrations, it seemed that idea was yet far into the future.

'But,' he thought as he stood up, 'hopefully I can get a normal year now.'

22222

"Continue."

The falcon nodded. "On the night of the first full moon, we spotted someone in a black cloak with red skies imprinted coming out of the roof of the north tower. But he wasn't alone. Some sort of creature was there too, but we couldn't determine what it was. But this is what interest you: After waiting for an hour for the coast to be clear, I flew through the hole in the roof that, for reasons unknown, was made of glass. And inside it I found Kakashi Hatake. My partner and I tried finding the Akatsuki member for two days and nights, but with no luck. This night I checked the tower again, and Kakashi-san was still there. That was when I made a beeline for the Leaf, leaving my companion to keep a look out."

Their reactions came instantly. Both Sannin let out a breath they hadn't known they had been holding, relief coursing through their systems. But then dread took hold. Tsunade spoke for both of them.

"Was he alive? And what about Naruto?"

The falcon looked from Sannin to Sannin, and Jiraiya swore that he saw it frown for a second. "Kakashi-san was alive when I left, although he looked like he had taken a beating or two. If Naruto-kun was nearby, we didn't see him."

Jiraiya nodded. There was still hope. But he couldn't help but frown when the falcon turned around. "Tell me one thing though: Why did you come here first? The Leaf hasn't any ninjas who summon falcons."

The falcon turned its head, and both Sannin could almost see the smug smirk. "My people now have a contract with the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara-sama. He instructed that if something seemed to have any relation to Leaf, good or bad, we should head here first. My name is Swift. Now, I must go. Farewell."

With that the falcon took off, heading southwest. The two old teammates looked after the falcon, both with a mixed expression of relief and trepidation on their faces. Tsunade was the first to come back together. She wasn't Hokage for nothing.

"Jiraiya: I want you to go to those ruins. Bring Shikaku Nara, Tsume Inuzuka and Shizune with you, no protests. I want that Brat and Boy out of there."

Jiraiya nodded. He wouldn't expect anything less. "It won't be easy. This is the ruins and terrain of Orochimaru's clan we are talking about. But what about this stranger, Remus Lupin?"

Tsunade frowned slightly and opened her desk drawer. Inside it was Remus' wand, brought back by Yamato. She had almost snapped in when she thought Remus might have had something to do with what she believed to be an abduction. But Sakura had convinced her that Remus fought their opponents fiercely and tried stopping events from unfolding.

Still, Tsunade didn't trust him. But she would have to dwell on that later.

"If you can find him, bring him back along with the others. But keep an eye on him." She was silent for around half a minute. "Jiraiya, your mission must be kept secret. I don't want the kids to get their hopes up, just in case you're too late."

Jiraiya nodded grimly. The teenagers on Team Kakashi and Team 8 had been very depressed when they returned without their comrades and Lupin, the possible exceptions being Sai due to his training, and Shino who scored top grades in the Academy test when it came to hiding his emotions. Sakura and Kiba had pretty much lucked themselves up and those who were brave, or foolish, enough to try getting them out had to duck kunai being thrown their way.

He was about to hop out of the window, but he turned around gave a smile to his childhood crush. "Don't worry, Tsunade. The team you put together is just perfect. See around and be ready for scolding the brats for worrying you."

With that he was off. But even if he didn't show it, Jiraiya had the feeling things might be a bit more complicated than they appeared to be at first glance.

00000

Orochimaru was less than pleased when he walked down the corridors, and Bellatrix had been on the receiving end of his displeasure. She had lied to him and it had cost several of his men their lives. Not that he cared about them, but the werewolf seemed to have disappeared. But something had obviously happened during at least one of the nights.

His servants had reported a large hole in the wall and traces of blood from the seventieth storey, from the ground and down and all the way to the north tower, which was where they were heading now, ignoring the mauled bodies. Orochimaru was slowly growing concerned what he would find once they entered the cell with the glass roof. So far there they had not found Kakashi in any of the cells. They had found Naruto in the safe room Bellatrix hadn't locked, knocked unconscious by a blow to the neck and then kept that way by the gas that had filled the room once the door was closed.

'Bellatrix, you better hope Kakashi-kun isn't dead. If he is, you will be the only one to feel my wrath.'

But he smiled the moment he entered the room Lupin had been brought to. Kakashi was lying in the middle of the room, his breathing erratic. "Bella: Get the boy into lab. 13. I will be there shortly with Kakashi."

Sensing her new master's dangerous mood, Bellatrix quickly left the room. Orochimaru continued smiling as he strode into the room. However, the smile disappeared to make place for a deep frown when he knelt down beside Kakashi.

The Copy-Ninja was running a fewer, and a high one at that. Sweat covered his face and he was tossing and turning in discomfort. Orochimaru swore softly as he waved his wand over Kakashi's body, ordering the two Sound-nin in the room to bring him cold water and a cloth. And they better hurry if they wanted to see another day.

"Don't even think about dying on me now, Kakashi-kun. I have big plans for you, boy."

The Snake Sannin moved his fingertips all over Kakashi's face, barely touching the skin of his captive. However, even the slight touch caused Kakashi to shiver. Running his finger along Kakashi's jaw line, Orochimaru spoke softly, like one would to a child.

"You are so much like all of the Sannin, just like your father. Cunning and brilliant like me, determined and headstrong like Jiraiya. And you are loyal and kind till the moment you face your opponent where you transform into a terrible force that are to be reckoned with; just like Tsunade."

The two Sound-nin entered with bowls with cold water, several cloths and a stretcher. Orochimaru instantly began working on bringing down the fewer as his men carried him to laboratory 13.

Upon nearing the laboratory, the first thing Orochimaru heard was a blond Jinchuuriki yelling and cursing at the top of his lungs.

"Get your hands off me, you cowards! Release me and take off this damn collar, and then we will see if you still will be so cocky!"

Orochimaru spoke calmly as he entered. "You certainly got a loud bark, Naruto-kun. But I'm afraid your bite isn't that great. Despite being far from my former power, I'm not to be taken lightly. And dear Bellatrix is, in her own right, about as strong as Kakashi-kun here."

Naruto's face turned ashen at the sight of Orochimaru, disbelief and horror washing over his face like a tidal wave. "YOU! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!"

Orochimaru chuckled. "Yes. But you shouldn't believe everything you hear. Now… keep quiet while I treat your precious sensei."

That was the wrong thing to say in Naruto's presence, as he started struggling even more against his restraints, glaring at Orochimaru with all the venom he could muster.

"I'm going to kill you, you bastard! You stay away from him, you hear? I'm going to kill you, even if I have to unleash the Kyuubi! I will... "

But if Naruto expected Orochimaru to be scared, if even a little, he was in for a big surprise. Orochimaru silenced Naruto with a steady stare, locking eyes with the younger shinobi.

"As of now, you can't. I took the liberty to place the Five Elements Seal on you again; the same seal I put on you during your time in the Forest of Death. But seeing how that was removed, I think I will have to apply something more… permanent."

Naruto had barely time to be scared for what Orochimaru had in store for him when a loud gasp was heard. Both boy and Sannin shifted their attention to Bellatrix, who looked at Kakashi with disgust and horror.

Orochimaru was the first to speak. "I suppose you have a very good reason for being so loud, Bella?"

Bellatrix continued staring at Kakashi. Or rather… his neck. "He has been bitten. Bitten by that… that… filthy monster. By that… that… that werewolf."

Now that definitely got Orochimaru's full interest, and Naruto failed in suppressing a shudder as the Sannin licked his lips with that abnormal tongue of his, eating Kakashi with his eyes.

"Is that so? I lost one werewolf, but got another. Soon, my plan will to come to fruition."

The Sannin turned to Naruto, a smile on his lips. "Perhaps you can enlighten me on what happened a couple of nights ago, hmm, Naruto-kun? I'm rather curious as to how some of this hideout was damaged when none of you had access to your chakra."

Naruto remained silent, confident that was what Kakashi would have wanted, meeting the Sannin's gaze with a glare This, however, didn't please Orochimaru one bit and the smile was replaced with an angry snarl.

"As you wish, boy. You will soon learn your place and answer a question when I ask. I will be back to deal with you shortly. The rest of you: Follow me."

They walked for a couple of minutes and they soon entered a cell with a cell bed and toilet. Stayed by the door, looking on with disapproval and disgust as the two Sound-nins gently laid Kakashi on the bed. But her expression turned into one of disbelief when she saw Orochimaru covering Kakashi with blankets after securing the leather straps to keep their captive in place while one of the Sound-nin hurried to bring some tools his master requested, eh, ordered him to bring.

"Why is this creature even getting this sort of treatment?"

Orochimaru didn't even look at Bellatrix as he answered his attention solely on Kakashi. "Because my dreams stand and fall with this boy. And if you ever question my motives again, you will regret it. Remember our agreement: I will help you in your quest in bringing back Voldemort, and in turn your skills are at my disposal, unreservedly. Nothing more, nothing less. Now, go and see if you can get Naruto-kun talking."

Bellatrix set her lips in a firm line, but didn't protest any further. Especially when a hoarse voice beat her to it.

"If you touch him… I will kill you."

Orochimaru chuckled, not at all fazed by the threat. "So you are awake? For how long?"

Kakashi growled, or rather tried to. He had no idea how long he been conscious, nor did he care. He felt like hell and he was all about ready to admit himself to the closest hospital. But even in his fever stupor, he knew it was not an option. And he had other things to worry about.

"Long enough. I don't know… who… or what… a 'Voldemort' is. But if 'Voldemort' is anything… as unpleasant as that lady… I think the world… is better… without it. And there is… no snowball's chance in Hell… I'm going to help… you making your sick dreams… come true.

Orochimaru almost laughed. And Bellatrix fingering her wand with a furious expression plastered on her face wasn't helping. Still, it wouldn't do if she lost her temper and cursed Kakashi to oblivion.

"Kakashi-kun, you disappoint me. With your intelligence, what makes you think you have a say in any of those matters? But rest for now. You are going to need it. After all… you are going to be the source of my new army. Perhaps… even lead it."

Before Kakashi could come up with a retort, the Sound-nin returned with what Orochimaru had ordered him to bring. And even through his fever induced haze, Kakashi could make out a black scalpel, several black senbon and, unless he was mistaken which he dreaded he wasn't, a branding iron like one would use on cattle and horses.

Orochimaru smiled and Kakashi internally swore that he was going to do what Sasuke failed to do: Ridding the world for Orochimaru once and for all.

His thoughts must have showed in his futile struggle against his bonds, for Orochimaru laughed and left, the others following him and closing the door.

Moments later, Naruto's screams of pure agony reached Kakashi's ears, along with the begging for mercy; mercy that Kakashi knew would not be granted. And much to his shock, he felt a couple of tears flowing from his left eye.

'I'm sorry Minato-sensei. I failed you and your son. I failed in keeping my promise… again. Naruto… forgive me.'

Rage filled his system and he willed the tears of failure and self-loathing to stop. "Orochimaru, this I swear: Even if it is the last thing I do, no matter what sort of people, beast and demons I have to strike a deal with, no matter how high the price might be, I will kill you. If you run, I will give chase. If you hide, I will find you. I will spend the rest of my life, hunting you down. My soul will not rest before I have ridden the world of you."

As if summoned through his speech, a small surge of electrical sprang from the fingertips on his right hand. Not anywhere near the required level for his signature jutsu, but Kakashi felt it. He had access to his chakra again, if even a little. Due to the fever, he was a bit longer in realizing how that was possible than he usually would be. But he had no doubt in his foggy mind that he was right.

'The bite… it must have damaged the collar, causing its suppression abilities to decrease.'

With that thought in mind, and praying to all the gods he knew of that Naruto would survive the torture, Kakashi began on restoring his chakra reserves. Orochimaru was going to regret the day he messed with Kakashi's students. Kakashi would make sure of it. But for now, he was forced to submit to the most horrible torture he had ever been subjected to, much worse than the time Itachi got him in genjutsu:

Listening to Naruto's cries and pleas, without being able to help him was, without a doubt, the worst torture Kakashi had ever experienced.

End chapter 13.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Of Chakra and Blood

Kakashi didn't know for how long he had been out, but he was wide awake when the door opened and two Sound-nins entered, dragging Naruto between them.

Kakashi's breath caught in his throat. Sure, he had seen torture victims before, but most of them was grown men and women who were trained in resisting torture, not a teenage boy who had no training regarding that aspect of ninja life.

Naruto was, to be quite frankly, and quite literally, a bloody mess. Even in the dim light, Kakashi could make out the traces of blood that had flowed down his naked torso and face. His jacket and t-shirt were gone, and so was the necklace.

The two Sound-nins ruthlessly dragged Naruto into the room and brutally tossed him onto the floor where he instantly curled into ball, trying to make himself as small as possible. One of the Sound-nin kicked Naruto, mumbling something about Kakashi couldn't hear.

He didn't really care. The way Naruto looked and acted was more than enough to make Kakashi's blood boil. Intending on diverting the enemy ninjas' attention from his student, Kakashi started struggling against his bonds.

The Sound-ninjas laughed, but stopped rather abruptly when the straps began groaning. "What the…"

Kakashi was enraged. Naruto had gone through enough already and didn't need those bastards having fun on his expense. After one minute the groaning straps began protesting vehemently, and thirty seconds later they broke.

Kakashi wasn't sure how he broke his bonds, but the stunned expression on the enemies' faces made him care less about that. He just knew that he needed to get them away from Naruto. He had felt his chakra going berserk as his anger rose.

And if it wasn't because he knew it was impossible, but Kakashi could swear he had felt some of his muscles shift and expand.

He slowly stood up, never ceasing his glare at the Sound-nins, his body language screaming bloody murder to those who got within reach of his hands. One step towards the Sound-ninjas, and they bolted, slamming the door behind them.

Kakashi was confused to say the least. His entire body was screaming in protest with every small move, making his movement shaky, yet the enemy fled. It didn't make sense to him, but the gasps and whimpers from Naruto pushed those questions away.

Kakashi was sure he was going to pay for it later, but he continued towards Naruto nonetheless. "Naruto?"

Even though his voice had been low and soft, it was enough to make Naruto cringe. And as Kakashi took another tentative step forward, Naruto began backing away, into a corner.

"Please, no, no, no more, please, I beg of you. Please, don't hurt me. Please…"

Kakashi felt his heart clench. Orochimaru had really done a job on Naruto. The usually hyperactive blond was now quivering with fear.

"Naruto…"

But just as he took another step forward, pain shot through his body and Kakashi was almost sure he felt his muscles contracting around his bones, making him lose his balance somewhat. It was only due to his stubbornness and the knowledge he needed to stay strong for his student that Kakashi didn't fall.

Crouching down in front of Naruto, Kakashi reached out for Naruto. The boy's reaction came instantly.

"No, no, no, please, please don't! I'm sorry! Don't hurt me! Please, no, no more!"

Despite Naruto's outburst and pleading, Kakashi still placed a hand on the teenager's shoulder, startling the boy, and for the first time they made eye-contact.

Kakashi's breath caught in his throat. The sapphire eyes that normally sparkled with life and some mischief were now wide and held deep panic and pain in them.

Kakashi had seen those kinds of eyes before: In men and women who had been broken by the enemy. Many lost their sanity and committed suicide in the end.

Kakashi feared Naruto had been broken, and he was now second-guessing his decision to get Naruto into the safe room instead of letting him help in the fight against the werewolf. He had barely thought the thought before mentally slapping himself.

'Letting Naruto fight would have ended in his death. Either by the teeth and claws of the werewolf or by the hands of Akatsuki. Kisame would have taken Naruto while I was fighting, or rather trying to fight that werewolf. And considering how much trouble it gave Kisame and me combined, the assistance Naruto could offer wouldn't matter in the long run. There is still hope.'

Knowing Naruto's reaction would mean anything and steeling himself for the worst, Kakashi spoke softly as Naruto's eyes darted around the room, body tense.

"Naruto… relax. It's me. It's Kakashi. Do you understand me? I'm right here, Naruto. Naruto…"

He kept repeating it for several minutes until Naruto finally focused on Kakashi's face. Kakashi smiled. All hope was not lost. Gently, Kakashi slowly placed his other hand along Naruto's cheek and jaw line, one onyx eye never leaving Naruto's blue ones.

"Hey Naruto. It's me, Kakashi. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. I promise I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not going to hurt you. We are going to get out of here, and then I will teach you more ninjutsu, perhaps we will even find a way to improve Rasen-Shuriken. Naruto, you are not alone in this. You have people who care about you. All of your classmates, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Iruka and me. We going to get out of here, I promise."

11111

Naruto stared without seeing, listened without hearing. He didn't know the voice and he wanted to be left alone. The man had his hands on his face and shoulder, preventing an escape, and Naruto dared not attacking. Doing so would undoubtly result in hellish punishment. But the voice kept talking, always the same, telling him to relax and saying some name.

He didn't understand why the voice was talking to him. He was nothing more than a worthless freak that only endangered people. So why did the voice keep talking to him? Was it taunting him without him realizing it? It would not surprise him. After all, he didn't deserve love.

But the voice just wouldn't shut up, and slowly, quite slowly, something began stirring in the back of his consciousness. Images sprang before his eyes, all faces of people he knew. All of them were looking at him with the same expression: Disgust and anger.

Their voices were muffled, but one of them began growing stronger. One face flashed into focus: Silver hair and a mask. His voice grew even stronger, but it wasn't the scathing and scornful remarks from earlier. Instead, he sounded worried. And the expression shifted from being disgusted and angry to concerned.

"… You have people who care about you. All of your classmates, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Tsunade, Iruka and me. We are going to get out of here, I promise."

As Naruto registered the words being said, the man's mask disappeared and recognition worked its way through Naruto's mind. But it couldn't be, could it?

"Kakashi… sensei?"

A relieved sigh escaped Kakashi who smiled and gave a nod. In the next moment, Kakashi found himself engulfed in a bone-crushing embrace, Naruto clinging on to him for dear life as his entire body shook with sobs. Recovering from his initial shock, Kakashi wrapped his arms around Naruto and began running his left hand in what he hoped was a soothing pattern on Naruto's back.

"Sshh, Naruto, sshh. It's me. Just let it all out."

And Naruto sure did. Kakashi didn't know for how long Naruto cried, and he really couldn't care less. Unlike him, Naruto had no ANBU training and never bothered hiding his emotions at all. Kakashi did feel awkward and out of place at the moment, but he knew his student needed the comfort, and at the moment, Kakashi was the only one who could give it.

And Kakashi really didn't want to do this, but he needed it. "Naruto… can you tell me what happened? What did they do to you?"

Naruto's grip tightened and he shook his head fervently. Hoping to calm the distraught boy, Kakashi resumed rubbing Naruto's back. It was only now he noticed small traces of puncture wounds, undoubtly from senbon, all over Naruto's back. The senbon had seemingly been put in randomly, but Kakashi wasn't fooled. Orochimaru never did anything without a purpose.

Kakashi also took notice of the small incisions that, like the puncture wounds, seemed to be healing. Those had to be from a scalpel. But he was taken slightly by surprise by the three slightly jagged wounds across Naruto's back. They were healing, but with rough scabs.

An image of an attacking wolf-like creature flashed through Kakashi's mind. 'Unbelievable. Even with the healing powers granted by the Kyuubi, the wounds are not healed yet.'

"Naruto… I know you probably don't want to talk about this right now, but… I need you to tell me what happened. I can help you, but only if I know what happened."

He had a pretty rough guess already, but if Naruto should have any chance at recovering, he needed to talk to someone about it. Just as Kakashi considered a bit more coaxing, Naruto was calm enough to speak between sobs, voice muffled.

"Table… couldn't do…senbon… first in my chest and left arm… then in my back… scalpel… chest… back… branding iron… pain… so much pain… woman… woman… woman…"

Kakashi thought for a moment Naruto wasn't going to tell more, but then the teenager let out a scream of distress, pain and fear, making Kakashi almost wish he hadn't told Naruto to tell him. And that was despite Naruto's was now crying

"The woman… the woman... she… she… s-she said… that… O-O-Orochimaru's men… deserved... some fun… they… should… the-their… way… with me…Orochimaru… said… no but… Kakashi-sensei, I have never been so scared in my life! I'm… I'm still scared!"

Kakashi tightened his hold on Naruto as he cried his heart out. "I know… let it out Naruto… all of it. I'm here… just let it out."

Kakashi might appear calm and soothing to Naruto, he might be a former ANBU, expert in cutting off his emotions, but even he couldn't deny that a burning rage was building in his chest. That woman… Bellatrix… she had suggested… Kakashi couldn't think straight. He had a hard time deciding who was worst… Orochimaru or Bellatrix.

It took Kakashi almost three minutes to calm himself. It was then he noticed that Naruto was silent. He had cried himself to sleep, and Kakashi found he couldn't blame him at all. He didn't know if the threat would have been carried out, but he knew that sometimes that the threat was more than enough. Gently lifting Naruto, Kakashi wobbled to the bed in the room and just as gently laid him on the mattress.

Naruto whimpered at the loss of comfort and warmth, but didn't wake up. For that Kakashi was grateful. Naruto had mentioned the branding iron, but Kakashi hadn't noticed any burn wounds on his back. Fearing what he would find, Kakashi set to investigate, a task made easier since his eye had adapted to the darkness by now.

He didn't like what he saw. He didn't like it one bit. Brushing his fingertips over Naruto's forehead Kakashi felt a pattern that stood no chance for being coincidental. His breath hitching, Kakashi felt that the pattern had been carved into Naruto forehead, most likely by with a scalpel, but it wasn't easy to tell as Kakashi could feel that the same pattern had been branded into the skin on the exact same spot. But which had been done first, he didn't know.

"Suppress… The Kyuubi."

It didn't take long for Kakashi to figure out how Orochimaru had copied the seal. The seal had been in one of his weapon pouches. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Orochimaru or one of his lackeys had searched his stuff.

Kakashi continued the examination, not yet trusting his vision completely. Just like his back, Naruto's torso was filled with puncture wounds and incisions. But when Kakashi reached Naruto's stomach, where the seal keeping in the Kyuubi was, Kakashi was in for another horrifying surprise.

"No… it can't be."

But like usual, he guessed correctly. Orochimaru had carved and branded the Five Elements Seal into Naruto's flesh.

'So this is what Orochimaru by more stable restraints… Orochimaru, you bastard. You are going to pay for this.'

"Admiring my handiwork, Kakashi-kun?"

Kakashi spun on his heel. Orochimaru was standing in the open doorway, two Sound-nins right behind him. Covering Naruto with blankets, Kakashi met Orochimaru's gaze with all the anger and loathing he felt for the man.

The staring contest lasted around two minutes till Orochimaru spoke two words. "Get him."

The Sound-ninjas moved quickly and since every muscle in his body felt they might rip any given moment, Kakashi couldn't put up too much of a fight. That didn't stop him from headbutting one of them. He was rewarded with a searing pain in his neck, but the cracking sound of the enemy's nose breaking was somewhat satisfying.

The next thing Kakashi knew was that his arm was being painfully pulled behind his back by Orochimaru. "Now that wasn't nice Kakashi-kun. We don't want to wake Naruto-kun, do we?"

Glancing over his shoulder, Kakashi saw that Naruto was still asleep, although he tossed back and forth, undoubtly having a nightmare. Not missing the implied threat, Kakashi nodded and stopped resisting.

Orochimaru smiled. "That's better. This way, Kakashi-kun."

Kakashi glared at Orochimaru's waiting form, then at the two Sound shinobi who was about to try taking hold of him again. Both shinobi halted in their steps, before getting themselves together and taking a hold of Kakashi's arms. Kakashi suppressed a smirk as the one whose nose he broke kept glancing at him as they left the cell, Orochimaru leading the way.

00000

Kakashi tried keeping track of where they were going, but after several turns, he simply couldn't. It wasn't made any better that his body still ached like hell, especially his neck and legs.

Orochimaru opened a door and walked, closely followed by his soldiers and Kakashi. The single Leaf-nin's eye swept around the room and saw that it was somewhat a mix of a cell and laboratory. The walls were lined with tables and shelves filled with instruments and glass bottles of various shapes and sizes. In the middle of the room was a t-formed steel table that seemingly could be turned so that it stood upright.

Near the table stood Bellatrix, twirling her wand in her hand, looking incredible bored and Naruto's necklace hanging loosely around her neck. Kakashi felt his blood starting to boil, but he calmed himself before he made a reckless move that wouldn't go over well.

Still wary of him, especially moves of the head, the two Sound-nin forced Kakashi onto the table and with some effort, managed to secure Kakashi's wrist and ankles in the straps.

Orochimaru nodded his consent. "You may leave." The two guards left and closed the door. "I guess you have a lot of questions, Kakashi-kun. So I will answer some of them in advance. And then I have a few questions for you."

Kakashi just glared. "And why would I want to answer you?"

And this Bellatrix giggled as she approached and began caressing Kakashi's cheek. "For if you don't, the little boy will suffer the consequences."

Anger flooded Kakashi's system and he did the most sensible thing that came to mind: He spat Bellatrix in the face.

'Okay, maybe that wasn't the smartest move on my part. But her expression made it worth it.'

Bellatrix sure looked funny. Her face was frozen in a mask of a smile and disbelief. The mask, however, was replaced with white boiling anger when she realized what had happened.

"You filthy…!"

"You are one to talk with that hair."

That only enraged Bellatrix any further and she angrily wiped away the spit on her face. "How dare you…!"

"I believe you would look somewhat attractive if you washed your hair. Besides, your face was already dirty."

With a scream of anger, Bellatrix raised her wand. "Cru…"

Orochimaru caught her around the wrist, cold anger lacing his voice. "You will do no such thing. Control yourself or leave."

Bellatrix gave Orochimaru an outraged look before spinning on her heels. As she was about to slam the door shut, Orochimaru spoke with his back to her.

"And don't even think about going near or sending anyone to Naruto-kun. Insane, he is of no use to me."

Something like an angry snarl crossed Bellatrix features before she stormed off. Orochimaru chuckled.

"Quite a temper she has there, the dear Bellatrix. Making her angry is not the wisest of ideas, Kakashi-kun."

Kakashi merely snorted in response. What had made him make those dangerous remarks, he would never know. Add to that, but every time rage took hold, the pain in his body seemed to intensify tenfold.

Orochimaru sighed as he pulled up a chair, twirling an eerie white wand around, almost lazily. "Kakashi-kun… You are not exactly cooperating. I will let it slide… this time around."

Kakashi settled for a glare, not doubting Orochimaru's words one bit. Orochimaru smiled. "Now, that's better. Can I assume you won't interrupt me, hm?"

Kakashi remained silent, and Orochimaru's smile widened.

"Excellent. I will answer one of the most obvious questions first. We are currently in what remains of my clan's fortress. It used to tower above the landscape, twenty-five storeys above the ground level and additional twenty-five below. Thanks to your clan, everything above except for the towers was burned to the ground. If your ancestor, Satanmo had known of the levels underground, he would undoubtly had set those ablaze too. Aside from some modernizations and a new entrance, this place hasn't changed since the Hatake attack. For what reasons, I do not know. Although I have a guess."

Kakashi kept silent, and it was only due to knowing him as a child that Orochimaru could decipher Kakashi's mask of indifference and see that the younger shinobi was listening with rapt attention.

"You see, the Hebizuka clan was researching ways to control the Kyuubi without having to seal it into human. My clan succeeded in keeping it under control. However, before they could find a way to use it in battle, your clan attacked. I guess the battle broke the control my ancestors had on the beast as it appeared on the battlefield. Half of the Hatake clan was killed. But despite the Hebizuka having the advantage of a mighty defence, they were still wiped out… except two small children. My parents. You see, even with the rest of the Hebizuka clan either dead or dieing, Satanmo Hatake, your grandfather, felt responsible for killing the family of my parents. So at the age of 18, and after leading his clan into a bloody battle that cost hundreds of lives, your grandfather took my parents under his wings. Years later, my parents split with the Hatake clan and gave birth to me. They never hated the Hatake clan, nor did they desire power. And as the village had been founded without them in it, there was no seat in the Clan Council for the remaining Hebizuka. Not that I care. Just like you, I was never one for politics… I find them rather boring. What is your reason? After all, you have refused to take your seat for how many years now?"

Kakashi made a quick count in his head. In order to qualify for a seat in the Clan Council, one had to be either 18 years old or hold the rank of jounin. You could become Clan Head before becoming jounin though, but it wouldn't give you a seat in the Council. Kakashi felt a stab of pain in his chest. He had been asked if he wanted to take up the mantle of Clan Head and his place in the Clan Council right after his return from the mission that cost Obito his life. He had refused ever since.

"17."

Orochimaru nodded. "I see. Why did you decline?"

Kakashi didn't answer. He had declined the position and title of Clan Head for different reasons. In his younger years, he had said no because he didn't feel he was worthy of leading anyone after that mission. Later on, it was because he could be of more use in the field than in the village. But he wasn't about to tell Orochimaru that.

Orochimaru frowned at Kakashi's defiance. Then he chuckled. "Very well. Now, where was I?" He was silent for a few seconds before taking up his tale.

"You might wonder why the Hatake clan didn't take me in after I was orphaned. The official reason was that they couldn't feed me. You see, from the attack on this castle to my birth, the Hatake clan's numbers fell dramatically. Can't say I'm surprised… one clan do not found the ANBU and have almost half its members in it without consequences."

He smiled at Kakashi's raised eyebrow. "Oh, you didn't know? After the assault on the Hebizuka clan, the ANBU was founded by the Hatake clan, most likely on the request of either the First or Second Hokage. But that was not the only reason the Hatake's numbers dwindled. While it wasn't often the Hatake clan took part in the battles in the era of wars, they was renowned for their tracking and assassination skills. But that wasn't the only reason. Every time an Uchiha or two went on a mission alongside a Hatake, at least one of them didn't came back alive. Old grudges die hard I suppose."

Orochimaru locked gaze with Kakashi. "The unofficial reason…" he licked his lips, "was because they were afraid. Afraid that I would use what they taught me against them. And I had already graduated, so I was officially free. Nevertheless, Sarutobi-sensei wasn't pleased and said they were becoming too paranoid. But as it was clan business, he really didn't have a say in it. Your dear father, on the other hand, didn't have any problems voicing his anger at his father's decision. He wanted his friend to live with him. As you must know by now, us Sannin and your father was childhood friends, Sakumo a few years ahead of us. He saw us as his younger siblings, although he seemed to reciprocate Tsunade's crush."

Kakashi found that he didn't need to hear the rest after against them. The rest of it was old news. Jiraiya still teased Tsunade with her crush on Sakumo from time to time, though he was smart enough not mention the one on Orochimaru. However, what very few alive knew was that Orochimaru once had an older sister, same age as Sakumo. The two of them had talked about getting married when they were children. But the sister died during the raid in which Orochimaru's parents were killed. Still, it was not a very comforting thought that Orochimaru very well could have been his uncle by blood.

Seeing Kakashi's bored expression, Orochimaru smirked before changing the subject. "So… have you tried finding out Lupin-kun's nature affinity yet?" Kakashi didn't answer but Orochimaru picked up the slight movement of Kakashi's pupil that told he had. His smirk widened. "I guess it showed him having all five natures, correct?"

Now that got Kakashi's attention, but he quickly schooled his expression into a neutral mask. "What is it to you?"

Orochimaru chuckled. The boy wasn't easy to read, but since his cloth mask was gone, it was just tad easier. "Just curious. And you can't deny you haven't been wondering the chakra paper's reaction yourself. I know you too well for that… Kakashi-kun."

Kakashi mentally swore. The three Sannin were the only ones who could read him like that. His connection to them in his childhood was to blame for that one. "What do you know about it?"

Orochimaru smiled an indulgent smile, almost like he had when Kakashi had pulled a prank on Jiraiya as a kid.

"Many people seem to forget this: I was the Leaf's ninjutsu specialist before you came around with that Sharingan of yours. And before me, it was Sarutobi-_sensei. _I doubt any one has a better knowledge of chakra than … I have worked with a wizard before… learned quite a bit about them and their chakra. So… do want to learn from me, Kakashi-kun?"

Kakashi growled. The Sannin was slowly, but surely, getting under his skin. Something wasn't right. Orochimaru was being too pleasant. Still, he couldn't deny he was curious to the enigma that was Remus Lupin. So if Orochimaru could provide answers, granted he wasn't lying to him, Kakashi was willing to listen. And who knew: Perhaps he could even turn the knowledge he gained from Orochimaru against the Sannin.

Kakashi gave a slight nod to Orochimaru's previous question and the Sannin laughed before he began speaking.

"While we are physical superior to wizards, their chakra and their mastery over it are, at least in some aspects and for those who have passed the age of 15-17, much stronger and better than ours. Imagine teenagers travelling over great distances in the blink of an eye several times a day like it was a little harder than scratching your neck, and yet they can't do a simple transformation. And unlike us, they are guaranteed at least three elements and maximum four… if they seek to master them. Are you following me so far, or do I need to simplify it for you?"

Kakashi nodded, although he wasn't quite certain. The idea of teenagers using an advanced time-space ninjutsu on par with his sensei's like it was nothing, but couldn't perform something as simple as a banal transformation jutsu was simply ridiculous. But despite it being ridiculous and mind-boggling, he was intrigued. Deciding to put a bit extra on it, but on the same time making sure it wasn't too much, Kakashi spoke again.

"Continue... please."

Orochimaru smiled. "That's better, Kakashi-kun. You are already learning to behave. As I said, their chakra and mastery, or control of it, are much stronger and better than ours. They even perform jutsu before being taught in using their chakra, even if they are unaware of it. Perhaps it would be more correct to say we have the raw form of chakra while theirs are more refined. Their jutsus, or spells as they call them, are the result of their core nature mixed with their two secondary natures that becomes an energy that destroys and reconstructs the composition of and around the object they focus that energy on, bending it to their command. As for the spells they use to fight: It all depends on if the wizard is attacking or defending."

Kakashi was at a loss by then. It didn't make any sense. "Explain."

Orochimaru gave a slight chuckle. "The core nature can be used both offensive and defensive. The other two secondary natures can only be used to either defend or attack. If defending, they call upon their defensive or core nature to protect them. However, it won't come up as a wall of earth but just a shield of pure energy. If attacking, a beam of energy will be fired, but only in very few instances will the nature used be seen. When using their spells, the nature affinities relation to each other doesn't matter. Earth can block lightning; fire can be beaten by wind. Those of them who harness and use their elemental powers separately like we do… their fighting and destructive powers are not to be taken lightly."

Kakashi gave a contemplative frown. He had a pretty good idea of what the core nature was, but it could never harm to be sure. "You have been talking about core and secondary natures for some time now. What are those? And more importantly: How can you discover what the natures truly are when the paper reacts that way?"

Orochimaru tilted his head to the right, still twirling the wand. Then he gave a slight smile.

"The core nature is just another word for your primary element. For instance, your core nature would be lightning and Naruto-kun's would be wind. As for discovering all of their natures… it's simpler than you think. You just need more than one chakra paper. For finding out their natures used for attack and defence, you need them to hold a chakra paper in each of their hands. The nature for attack will be the one they hold in the hand they wield their wand with, while the one for defence will be in the other hand. To find their core, they need to hold a single chakra paper between their hands. If you ask them to channel their chakra into single piece of paper, all three or fours energies will be focused into it as one and confuse it. It will show the person to possess all five elements because of that confusion as it holds a small amount of them all, triggered to activate upon contact with the chakra the ninja channel into it."

Kakashi was getting more and more confused. 'So to sum it up: One nature only for attack, one only for defense, one for both. To find out the natures, at least three pieces of chakra paper, otherwise the paper gets confused and won't function properly. Sigh. I got to discuss this with Remus-san and test it. If…'

Not wanting to think about the ifs, Kakashi decided on something relevant. "I see. In that case: What elements does that b-i-t-c-h possess?"

Orochimaru frowned at the way Kakashi talked about Bellatrix. "Now that wasn't nice, Kakashi-kun. I will have to reprimand you for that. Crucio!"

Kakashi let out a scream of pain and continued screaming for the twenty seconds Orochimaru held the curse. When he lifted it, Kakashi was gasping, the curse having stolen almost all of his breath. Orochimaru smiled.

"I trust you have learned your lesson, Kakashi-kun? As to answer your question… her core nature or affinity is fire. Her attack nature is wind while her defence is earth. A partner of mine, Voldemort, had four elements: Earth, lightning, fire and wind. Another wizard, although I have never met him, one named Dumbledore or something like that, is assumed to also having harnessed four elements."

Orochimaru stopped talking and twirling the wand as a smirk crept over his face. The next thing Kakashi knew was that his skin was being penetrated down his sides. Mentally berating himself for letting himself being distracted like that, Kakashi glanced down his body. Ten tubes were protruding from his sides, small needles at the end having broken through his skin and clothing alike. And it wasn't long before blood began flowing slowly through the tubes, blood that was being drained from Kakashi's body.

Following some of the tubes with his eye, he saw that his blood was being led into a tank. Kakashi growled and ignored the flare of pain in his neck.

"What do you want from me? And what the hell did you do to Naruto?"

Orochimaru laughed before licking his lips. "Let's just say Bellatrix has a handy spell… a spell that traps people in their worst nightmares and fears. As for you: For now, I only want your blood. Your blood will make me help understand werewolves better. And if I'm successful in my experiments, I won't have to wait for the full moons. Through your blood, I hope to give my army some of the attributes of those beautiful beasts." He licked his lips again and ran a hand through Kakashi's hair as he stood. "And perhaps even get the secrets of the Hatake clan's Blood-Ninjutsu. Secret jutsus that have been written in the Hatake clan Scroll. That scroll contains jutsus your ancestor, Kashisamo Hatake, forbid from being used again after they joined the Leaf."

With that Orochimaru left Kakashi, leaving the Copy-Ninja pondering several things: If any more harm had befallen Naruto, how he could thwart Orochimaru's plans and why, and how, he had never heard of that scroll or the Blood-Ninjutsu of his clan.

End chapter 14.

AN: Before any of you ask. No, this story won't turn into a slash story. There will be a bit slash in the future, but it won't be Kakashi/Remus or Kakashi/Naruto *shudders*. The slash will be between boy/girl and only among the younger generation.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Knock knock. Anybody Home?.

Jiraiya let out a frustrated sigh while running a hand through his hair; or as much of it that the length of his arm allowed, as he looked at the people accompanying him on this mission.

Tsume Inuzuka with her ever loyal companion, the big cross of a wolf and dog, both looking as frustrated as Jiraiya felt. The sight of Kuromaru still brought a small smirk to Jiraiya's face now and then. Tsume's father, the previous clan head and had been less than pleased when he found out Sakumo's alpha male wolf had impregnated his alpha female. Sakumo may have been considerable stronger than the Clan Head, but he was not about to take on the entire Inuzuka clan by himself. So he did only sensible thing: He hid.

Tsunade and Jiraiya still spoke of that incident as it probably was the longest and hardest game of hide-and-seek the Leaf had ever witnessed. After all: It isn't easy hiding from an entire clan full of expert trackers plus their hounds.

Putting those fond and funny memories aside for later, Jiraiya shifted his gaze to Shikaku Nara. The Clan Head sat on his knees, eyes closed as he held his hands in front of his mouth in what easily could be mistaken for a tiger-seal. However, if one looked closely, you would see that Shikaku held left index against right middle.

To the unknowing, it would seem Shikaku was gathering chakra for some secret jutsu, but the Toad Sannin knew better. Shikaku only formed that 'seal' when he was thinking about something difficult. The Toad Hermit had often witnessed that 'seal' when Shikaku was playing shogi or normal chess with his sensei, Sakumo Hatake. In the start, Sakumo had been more than a bit reluctant to teach the older Ino-Shika-Cho trio, and complained about them being brats who had no idea what being a ninja meant and they were whiny, lazy and eating too much.

But when he looked underneath the underneath, as it was the Hatake Clan's motto, he saw great potential and intelligence and thus started playing strategically games with the Nara. Although it became expensive when the team talked Sakumo into paying for their meals after a successful mission when the Nara Heir started being able to win. Not that Jiraiya saw any reason for his friend to complain. As Head for one of the Noble families of the Hidden Leaf, Sakumo was easily one of the wealthiest men in town. Something Jiraiya and Tsunade was quick to take advantage of when visiting the bars and nightclubs.

Shifting his gaze yet again, his eyes landed on the rest of his companions: Shizune, Yamato and Sakura. Shizune was a given. She was a talented and experienced medic-nin and fighter. Also, she knew Kakashi from childhood and was probably the only one who could talk Kakashi into staying at the Hospital for longer than it took him to regain mobility.

Yamato was also a given: He was an ANBU and his unique abilities made him one of the better, if not the best, at infiltrating. They had been about to leave when he had entered and Tsunade immediately assigned him to the team.

And for Sakura: Both of the Sannin had protested quite strongly against her going: She was not as experienced as the others, would most likely be outclassed by the enemy and no skills the team already had.

She had countered that by reminding them she pretty much held her own against Sasori and that her chakra enhanced punches would be enough. She also had a few poisons she wanted to try out. And finally, Naruto would need someone around his own age for company. When the Sannin still said no, things had gotten ugly. Or at least seen from the two Sannin's' point of view.

She had simply blackmailed them. If they refused to let her go, she would tell Tsunade about all of Jiraiya's hiding places and jutsu for peeping. She would also tell Shizune where Tsunade kept her saké in the office and how she had hidden it.

But when Shizune had asked where it was, Sakura had smirked and said that she would be forced to reveal who Shizune had a crush on.

After that quick conversation, the Sannin and Shizune had no objections and the rest of the jounins gathered kept their mouths shut, although their faces spotted small smirks. How two Sannin had been cornered like that by a chuunin or how Sakura obtained all of that knowledge, Jiraiya would never know. But he had come to a shocking conclusion.

'Cunning like Kakashi… foul tempered and inhuman strength like Tsunade… oh boy, I don't envy the bloke that gets on her bad side.'

But even Jiraiya could see the reasonable in having another skilled medic on the team. That, however, didn't help at the moment. Gaara's two falcons, Swift and Strong had returned to wherever they came from yesterday, thus they no longer had those as scouts. But what they had reported before leaving was not encouraging. Sound-nins were patrolling the area of where they had located the entrance to the hideout to be, a little cabin on a small island in the middle of the lake, with such frequency it was impossible to find a suitable gap for infiltration.

So far, the best solution they had come up with was to kill some enemies and steal the uniforms. But there were several flaws in that plan. For starters, if the patrol they killed was being shadowed by another. If the patrol identified the Leaf-nins, they would surely raise the alarm. And as they still didn't exact quantity of enemies, it could fatal.

Another reason was in case they had a password. They could always interrogate a prisoner or guess, but the risk of the enemy getting suspicious was too high.

And if that wasn't enough, Swift had also reported of two Akatsuki members in the vicinity, apparently sparring. That in itself was unusual, but what unnerved Jiraiya even more was the simple fact that the identity of one of them was unknown. Swift had recognized Kisame Hoshigaki, but had no idea who the other one was, and as such, had no idea of his powers, demeanour and personality. And the falcon couldn't get close enough to get a closer look at the new addition to Akatsuki unless he wanted to be spotted.

But while it unnerved Jiraiya to no end knowing that Sound-nin and Akatsuki was right around the corner, it also gave him hope. The Sound-nins were clearly guarding something in their hideout. And with Akatsuki nearby, Jiraiya would bet all his money and copyrights on Icha-Icha that the Sound-nins kept Naruto captive. And if Naruto was there, chances were good that Kakashi was there too. Jiraiya could only hope the enemy hadn't finished off the Copy-Ninja.

Running his hand through his hair one more time in the slim light of the setting sun, Jiraiya thought on another matter. A matter Shikaku was sure to have given quite some thought too.

Why hadn't Akatsuki attacked them yet? Shikaku had come up with a few possible explanations. They didn't know they were there, although it seemed very unlikely. Another explanation was the Akatsuki members knew they were there and who they were, and wouldn't risk challenging a Sannin in open battle.

Perhaps they had set up traps, waiting for the Leaf-ninjas to make the first move against them. Or they were simply waiting for them to do the hard work of retrieving their comrades.

Whatever the reason and explanation was, it did not settle well with Jiraiya. But he didn't have time to ponder the Akatsuki motives any longer, for suddenly the evening silence was broken by loud shouting, then something big rising before coming down again, clearly smashing something to pieces.

"That came from the lake."

Jiraiya nodded in acknowledgement of Shikaku's words and they all moved towards the lake as fast and quietly as they could. It didn't take long for them to see what had caused the ruckus. The cabin that hid the entrance was gone, clearly destroyed by a water jutsu and several Sound-nins were lying in the water, either unconscious or dead.

Tsume took a quick sniff as they watched four Sound-nins fighting Kisame around where the cabin had stood, although it was now underwater. She spoke as the one of the Sound-nin finally managed landing a hit, causing Kisame to dissolve into water, much to the Sound-ninjas' surprise and confusion.

"Jiraiya-sama, more enemies are approaching from all directions."

Before Jiraiya could reply to Tsume's information, Sakura pointed in the direction of the north tower, more precisely at the roof, her eyes narrowed. "Look."

All of the Leaf-ninjas heads snapped in the direction Sakura was pointing, just in time to see two figures in Akatsuki cloaks dropping through the roof. Jiraiya narrowed his eyes.

'I have to give it to you, Kisame. You understand to make a diversion.' Looking at the grim faces of his companions, Jiraiya knew they too understood how things just had become much more dangerous.

"Alright everyone, let's go!"

Dispatching off the Sound-nins was no problem. A couple of big smoke bombs thrown by Sakura made sure the four on the lake and their approaching comrades couldn't see a thing. Tsume and Kuromaru made quick work of two while Shikaku and Yamato took care of the last two before diving.

They soon found the entrance and allowed themselves to sink through the water and a transparent barrier, obviously meant for keeping water out in case of a flood, and they found themselves on a staircase that went underground. Getting in was easy. Getting out would be much more difficult.

00000

Kakashi groaned as he was dragged into the cell he and Naruto was sharing. There were no windows, so the only source of light was the keyhole. But the lack of light was the least and last of his concerns.

He was deeply concerned about Naruto. Every time the boy was brought back from the torture sessions, his body would be littered with puncture wounds. And the fact that it seemed to take longer for the wounds to heal after each session did nothing to ease Kakashi's worries. However, one thing kept Kakashi keeping his hopes up: The simple fact Naruto hadn't broken down yet. After each torture session, Naruto would seek comfort and Kakashi would hold him.

Naruto, in turn, would after the 'study sessions' as Orochimaru called them, would make sure Kakashi was as comfortable as possible and talk, although Kakashi suspected the latter was more for the sake of Naruto's own sanity than his own.

Usually, Kakashi would only listen with one ear when Naruto started talking about the dream dates he had with Sakura or dreams about ramen, about bringing Sasuke back and becoming Hokage and the first things Naruto would do the moment they escaped this hell hole.

However, in their current predicament, he found it strangely comforting that, despite what Naruto was going through, still kept some of his innocence and naivety in regards to the world's realities. That Naruto stuck to his dream despite how hopeless it looked.

Naruto kept Kakashi strong, meaning he could and would endure whatever Orochimaru threw at him. He needed to stay strong, for the sake of both of them.

'To think we would become each others' anchors.'

But another reason Kakashi gave Naruto his full attention once the boy started talking was because when Naruto thought Kakashi was fast asleep, the subject would change. Gone was the optimistic and innocent, if slightly annoying, topics. Those topics would be replaced by recounts of Naruto's time at the orphanage till the time he graduated. Of the clerks kicking him out of their shops, the mob's occasional hunts on him, the mental and, those few times the mob succeeded in capturing him, physical abuse.

The mere fact that the village was treating their saviour so ungrateful was enough to make Kakashi's blood boil. But he guessed he was not without guilt in that matter either. The village had barely recovered after the war when the Nine-Tails attacked. They couldn't afford to look weak in the eyes of the other villages so Kakashi joined the ANBU and spend the better of the next twelve years as the Hidden Leaf's ANBU Wolf, in which time he earned the rank ANBU Commander.

After seven years or so as an ANBU operative, the Third Hokage pleaded with him to stop for the sake of his humanity. When Kakashi refused to resign willing, the Third gave the implied threat that if that was the case, he would pull Kakashi from the forces. In the end, they reached a compromise: Kakashi would retire from ANBU the moment he took on a genin team and until one of them became chuunin. After that, he could rejoin the forces on part time, meaning he would have still have to train the other two. Kakashi had tried negotiating about the last part, but the Third had been adamant and refused to budge even one inch.

So for five years, Kakashi had to test different whiny kids who thought they knew what being a ninja entailed. As much as he didn't want to, he had almost failed Team Seven too, but they had surprised him in the end.

Another thing that worried Kakashi a great was the simple fact he lost track of time. He didn't have any idea how long they had been captives. It could be days, perhaps weeks or months.

Then there was Orochimaru and his 'study sessions'. While Kakashi had close to none knowledge about all that werewolf stuff, he knew the consequences of having a near fatal amount of blood drained from your body and then have it replenished through Blood Pills before repeating the process several times: Like any other drug, you would become addicted to it. But what was worse was that, like some medicines, continued consumption and use of them, your body would stop producing whatever the medicine helped with.

In other words: If those 'study sessions' continued like they had so far, Kakashi's body would stop producing blood on its own. And that was a thought that did not settle well with Kakashi. It would mean the end of his career as a shinobi, as he would depend on those blasted pills in order to survive and thus no longer be available for the long time missions.

And then there were two things Kakashi couldn't make sense of, at all. One, he had harder controlling his emotions. He often felt internal rage due to Orochimaru's treatment of Naruto. And every time he was angry, intense pain would course through his body instead of being a dull ache when he was calm. It didn't help matters that his fever hadn't decreased. If anything, it was increasing as Kakashi felt he was going to be sick with every step he took. And he was sure the fever was the reason he was starting to hallucinate. The hallucinations were blurry and didn't have any coherence. But two of them stood out very clearly:

A burning house with a young woman hanging out the window and two small children hanging from a swing, the light in their eyes long gone while the woman was struggling against the rope around her neck.

And only then the worries about lack of light got a place in Kakashi's mind. But something good had come out of being imprisoned. Despite his fever dazed state, Kakashi had, like any other time he had been a prisoner, adapted to the situation to the best of his ability. His sense of hearing had increased so that he now could hear the footsteps through door and fog surrounding his mind. Moreover, despite what had happened, he had now built up enough chakra for a small Raikiri and some few small non-battle related tricks.

Glancing at the sleeping teenager on the bed, Kakashi started towards the door, ready to coax it open with chakra. But just as he was about to start working on the lock, he heard them: Footsteps.

' At least three and approaching.'

He barely managed to get back before the door was flung open and in stepped Orochimaru with a smile on his face; Kakashi's guess was that the results of his 'studies' had been better than expected. But if the sight of Orochimaru unnerved Kakashi, it was nothing to the gleeful smile Bellatrix was spotting. She looked like Christmas and her birthday had come early that year. She had a black cloak draped over her left arm while twirling her wand in her right hand. After them followed a Sound-nin who looked only slightly ill and two of the warriors that attacked that night they were taken to this godforsaken place.

Orochimaru and Bellatrix stopped in the middle of the room, their three guards stayed slightly behind, blocking the door while Kakashi and Naruto were between the far wall and Orochimaru.

Keeping his eye firmly on Orochimaru, Kakashi placed himself between the Snake Sannin and Naruto

"What do you want now? Your lackeys have just left me here."

Orochimaru's smile turned into a frown at Kakashi's tone and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bellatrix bristle and readying her wand. Giving a small shake of his head, Orochimaru turned his complete attention to his two captives.

"Now, now, Kakashi-kun. No need to get rude. I just came to tell you about the result of my studies of you."

Kakashi snorted, making sure Naruto was safely covered behind him as he watched Bellatrix slowly edging closer. 'Figured that much.' Instead he answered. "And I should be interested in the results of your torture of us because?"

Orochimaru smiled. "Because your blood will lead to the destruction of the Leaf Village. The virus running in your blood will guarantee that."

Kakashi growled. "You are underestimating my comrades in the village." Then he gave a small smirk. "A mistake you never seem to learn from. First against the Third Hokage and then against Sasuke."

The smile instantly vanished from Orochimaru's face at Kakashi's remark and an expression of pure rage took its place.

"I would watch that mouth of yours, Kakashi-kun. And I assure you; I will succeed in destroying the Leaf and get my revenge on Sasuke Uchiha. Especially with hundreds of werewolves at my command."

Kakashi frowned. 'He has more of those beasts? But that doesn't add up. If he already had that many, why did he take my blood in the first place?'

Moving slightly to the left, he once again blocked Naruto from Bellatrix's wand tip. "I don't believe you."

Orochimaru's lips curled upwards into a cruel smile. A smile that was sinister enough to make Kakashi shiver a bit. "Then perhaps a demonstration is in order?" He turned towards the Sound-nin, causing the man to tremble. "Do it."

The Sound-nin hesitated and Kakashi could vaguely see pearls of sweat running down the man's face, clearly scared out of his mind. Kakashi almost felt sorry for the man, almost being the keyword.

But the only thing the Sound-nin achieved by his hesitation was angering the Sannin even more. With a hiss of anger, Orochimaru drew his wand and pointed at his servant. With a scream of agony, the Sound-nin fell to the ground, drawing his knees to his chest. After ten seconds, Orochimaru lifted the curse.

"Disobedience will not be tolerated. I gave you an order. Now, do it or do I have to punish you again?"

The Sound-nin whimpered out a "No my Lord" before standing up on shaking legs. Then he put his finger together in the ram-seal, focusing his chakra. Ten seconds later, he let out a scream of pure pain. What happened next caused Kakashi to sweat and he failed in suppressing a cringe.

The sound of bones breaking apart were all too familiar too him. But what followed caused him to gasp in surprise and his eye widened in alarm. Fur sprouted with alarming speed across the Sound-nin's face while his facial features turned into that of a wolf, and his nails and teeth elongated until they were sharp and pointy fangs, designed to tear and rip in flesh.

The hands and feet changed into paws and the yellow eyes and the internal rage completed the image: This was indeed a replica of the creature Kisame and Kakashi had been fighting against. And yet it wasn't.

For starters, its eyes weren't nearly as bright as the other one's. And it was much smaller. While the one from that night had towered above Kisame, this one was 'only' about as tall as Kisame, give or take a few inches. That at least explained why the Sound-nin had been wearing a uniform that still fit with only the headgear and sandals now gone.

And unlike the other one, it didn't seem to be in a hurry to kill them. Instead it just stood, panting and growling, lowering its head in submission to Orochimaru.

Orochimaru chuckled as he stepped towards the creature, letting his hand move over the snout and up between the ears of the creature.

"Beautiful, isn't he?"

Beautiful was, in Kakashi's mind, the last word that fit the creature. But even so, he couldn't help but be slightly fascinated with it. 'I wonder if I'm going to look like that some day…'

Shifting his gaze to the Snake Sannin, Kakashi took a small step to the right to prevent Bellatrix getting the clear shot on Naruto that she desperately wanted. Suppressing a smirk at her furious expression, Kakashi asked the first thing that came to mind.

"How did you do it? I get that it somehow involves my blood, but it is nowhere as big as your other monster."

Orochimaru chuckled. "Correct. Those beauties are not as big as the other one. I think the explanation for that is to be found in the way I created those." He licked his lips. "The source of the Curse Mark came from a boy. To make a long story short, I took the needed enzymes and isolated them. After some time, I was able to create the Curse Mark. After having heard about werewolves, I came to the conclusion that symptoms, characteristics and abilities granted through the virus were very much like the ones one would get after being given a Curse Mark."

Orochimaru took a step towards the two Leaf-ninjas, causing Kakashi to tense and Naruto to take a little step backwards. The Sannin continued.

"Considering their similarities, I came up with the theory that the formula that created the Curse Mark would be pretty much the same for creating a werewolf. I was right. By isolating the virus in your blood, and putting it into the equation instead of the enzyme, I was got the desired result. A process that was greatly sped up by the magic of dear Bellatrix here. And to make it even better…" Here he licked his lips and paused for dramatic effect. "There were no casualties. Even among those who got bitten. All subjects injected with blood from you showed positive signs. Something I usually would have to wait for months to accomplish was done in less than a week… thanks to you, Bellatrix's knowledge of spells, magic and those magnificent beasts and my own intelligence, I now have five hundred of those beautiful creatures at my command."

Kakashi felt his eye widen for the fraction of a second. 'Five hundred of those monsters?' But despite this, he couldn't help but smirk. "Five hundred of those monsters won't be enough to overrun the village."

Orochimaru chuckled as he licked his lips again, keeping a steady gaze at Kakashi while taking out that bone-white wand of his.

"Indeed. However, when those numbers multiply during the assault, then what?"

Kakashi didn't like that thought at all. But, he couldn't see how something like that could happen. "And how exactly do you plan on achieving that? By running around and injecting Konoha-nin with my blood?"

Orochimaru shook his head, an amused laugh escaping his lips. A laugh that gave Kakashi the feeling he wouldn't like whatever was coming next. Behind him Naruto was whimpering slightly, but Kakashi knew not paying attention to Orochimaru right now could prove fatal; not just for themselves, but also for their comrades in Konoha if they escaped and didn't have the information Orochimaru was giving them through his boasting.

After almost one minute, Orochimaru had calmed himself enough to stop laughing. "No, I'm not going to run around injecting your blood in your precious comrades during an attack like that. No dear boy, thanks to magic and studies, I came up with something much more effective."

In Kakashi's mind, that didn't bode well. But what Orochimaru said next shocked him nonetheless.

"I altered the virus to fit my purposes. You see, after the fiasco with Sasuke-kun turning on me, I was not about to let something like that happen again. Through spells, I have made sure that they, once transformed, are loyal to me and me alone. Or more correctly: They are forced to obey my commands. And if the unthinkable happens and I die or are otherwise incapacitated, the control will be passed on to Bellatrix, without whom, I would never have come this far."

The Sannin's smile widened. "As for how I intended for the numbers to increase during the assault: Through the werewolves' bite. As I'm sure you are aware by now, the virus is transferred when bitten. I have altered it so that the transformation will take place almost right after the bite. And I have also made it so that the new ones bit too will only obey me. Magic and spells are useful, are they not?"

Kakashi's mind tried keeping up with the information. He didn't really care about how Orochimaru had managed to change the virus, or whatever, but what those changes did. 'Most important things: Five hundred units at his command, victims instantly turn into a new werewolf if bitten, only loyal to Orochimaru unless he is killed. If killed, Bellatrix gets the control. But…'

Shifting on his feet again to prevent Bellatrix getting a clear shot, Kakashi asked the question to the last part of the puzzle. "And just how do you plan on getting that horde anywhere near the Leaf? They will be spotted long before they even reach the gates. And with Akatsuki's recent activities, the village is on high alert. Add to that, but you don't have a Chuunin Exam to use for a distraction this time around. So how exactly do you plan on launching the attack?"

Orochimaru smiled. "Observant, as usual. The answer is simple: Summoning jutsu. All of them have been branded with a seal so that I can summon them like I summon my snakes. All that is needed for summoning them is some of my blood."

Kakashi didn't need more information. 'Shit. Five hundreds of those monsters appearing out of nowhere near the walls… not good. The chuunin guards won't be enough to delay them while also sending warnings and keep them at bay until reinforcements arrive.'

Orochimaru raised his wand, a dangerous tone in his voice. "And I do learn from my mistakes, Kakashi-kun. And though the means will be different, I will now ensure you are under my complete control now. Imper…"

However, before he could utter the last part of the Imperius Curse, the cell shook, if not the entire castle. Narrowing his eyes, Orochimaru turned his gaze upwards, murmuring softly to himself. "We are the lowest level of the fortress. What could have caused…"

Another Sound-nin burst into the room, instantly kneeling in front of Orochimaru. "My Lord! The cover for the main entrance has been destroyed and the patrol units report that the island has been flooded and the guard units destroyed. The flood-barrier has been breached seven times. All the cameras are down and radio contact was jammed right after we heard from the patrols."

Orochimaru frowned. "Seven times you say? No doubt the Leaf has tracked us here. Although," here he shifted his gaze to Bellatrix, making her shift uncomfortable, "such a thing should be impossible as our guests were brought here by Portkey."

Contemplating his next move, and possible the one of the infiltrating enemies, before saying something that made shivers run down Kakashi's spine.

"Release the wolves. They will sniff them out." His eyes turned to Kakashi as the Sound-nin ran off, undoubtly to pass on the message to as many as he could. "One of the Leaf ANBU's many procedures if I remember correctly. Create a ruckus when infiltrating and then take down video surveillance. But whoever it is, they will regret ever coming here."

In quick strides Orochimaru reached the door, calling out. "With me, now. Bellatrix… I will deal with you later."

With that he, Bellatrix and the other guard swept out of the room, Bellatrix pulling on the cloak. But before the transformed Sound-nin made a move towards the door, Kakashi dashed forward, or at last as fast as his body would allow him to, grapping the creature around the middle and tried to force it onto the floor. But unfortunately, the creature was not about to be overpowered that easily. Its claws sank painfully into Kakashi's shoulder blades before tossing him across the room with ease. The wolf growled and left the room in a leisurely jog, and Orochimaru, who apparently had been waiting on the other side, out of sight, chuckled.

"How foolish of you, Kakashi-kun. Brave, but foolish."

With that the Sannin slammed the door shut and lock clicked. Kakashi groaned as he sat up, feeling the blood from the fresh wounds get soaked up in his shirt as he rested his back and head against wall. 'Damn it all. Orochimaru really did a number on me. But at least he didn't discover that this little collar of his isn't as effective as it once was.'

Groaning and giving off some hisses and grunts of discomfort as he felt the wounds on his side open again, he moved towards the door again. However, he found his path blocked by a rather pale, but angry looking Naruto. His arms were crossed over his naked and puncture-wound riddled torso, but his blue eyes spoke of great anger, determination, shock and surprise, and a bit of fear too, as he looked up in Kakashi's single grey one.

His voice was low, but quite audible in the cell. "Kaka-sensei, what in the world was you thinking, attacking like that? You are physical weakened and exhausted, and on top of that, your chakra has been blocked! Why would you do something incredible stupid like that? Your recklessness could have gotten you killed!"

Kakashi was pretty sure his jaw had become loose and was about ready to hit the floor. His face was the epitome of the thought running in his head. 'What. The. Hell?'

With Naruto on his team, Kakashi was not easily surprised by the blonde's stunts. However, being lectured and scolded about his actions was not something he had expected to happen anytime soon, least of all by Naruto. But the irony of it all wasn't lost on Kakashi.

Eye-smiling at his student, Kakashi, much to Naruto's indignation, ruffled his hair, as he stepped past him. "You are one to talk, Naruto-kun."

Ignoring Naruto's spluttering about he had every right to talk, Kakashi knelt down in front of the lock, a small frown creasing his brow.

Grumbling, Naruto stepped up between Kakashi. "Sensei, I asked you a question. Why did you attack that thing like that?"

Turning his head slightly, Kakashi smiled. "For the same reason you attacked that monster back then. This werewolf had something I wanted."

Naruto frowned, eyeing his sensei suspiciously. He had the feeling his sensei had finally lost it. "And that would be?"

Kakashi eye-smiled again and uncurled his right fist. "This."

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise as he recognized the objects in his sensei's hand: A couple of picklocks. "Wha… how did you?"

Still smiling, Kakashi set to work on the lock, listening intently for clues how his work was progressing and if someone was approaching. "Look underneath the underneath, Naruto, and you will understand."

Naruto's frown returned, deeper this time, as he tried recalling what had happened in what seemed like in the blink of an eye. "You attacked. But the way you moved… it was sloppy."

Kakashi nodded, turning his head slightly to give an encouraging smile before returning on coaxing the lock open. "Yes. And?"

Naruto stared at his sensei a bit, biting his dry lip as he thought. "You… you went for the middle instead of going for the neck. And then…" Naruto's eyes widened as it clicked. "You went for the middle of that monster, not its neck. And your sloppy moves… you did that on purpose, didn't you? To cover your true intention: To get the picklocks."

Kakashi nodded, still focused on his work, but he was pleased Naruto had figured it out so fast. "Yep. Almost all shinobi has a set of picklocks hidden somewhere in addition to those in their pouches, usually in their clothes. That was why I went for the middle. And I was right. I found them inside the clothes curls, hidden away."

Naruto frowned a bit as watched Kakashi working on the lock. "But sensei, why didn't you try to kill it?"

Kakashi stilled his hands with the picklocks he turned around to look at his student. "Because I knew I probably couldn't." His smile had vanished completely. "The werewolf, the thing that chased us that night, proved to be far stronger and much more resilient than Kisame and I anticipated. I hate to say this, but if Kisame hadn't been there that night, I would probably have been killed.. Besides, even if I somehow succeeded in killing that transformed Sound-nin right now, it wouldn't have done us any good. If I know Orochimaru right, he would wait for the creature to join him after some time. And when the creature didn't come, he would come back and investigate himself."

The lock gave a soft click and Kakashi smirked. "There. Time to go. But before that, come here."

The teenager gave him a puzzled look but obeyed nonetheless. But his confusion only increased when Kakashi put a hand to his forehead before ripping off the remaining sleeve on his jounin shirt before taking it off, leaving him only in his jounin pants and sandals.

"Eh, Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing?"

Kakashi sighed as he bound the sleeve around Naruto's forehead and handed him the shirt. "You are freezing. And I don't want to drag you around when you suffer from a cold and possible pneumonia. The shirt might be holed and without sleeves, but it's better than nothing."

Naruto nodded and pulled on the shirt, suppressing a small shiver as he several blotches of dried blood. The shirt was more than a couple of number too big, but at least it provided some warmth.

"Well, that explains the shirt. But what about the cloth around my forehead?"

Kakashi grew deadly serious. "Because I doubt those ANBU are alone. Shikaku Nara and Yamato may be the best in jamming enemy communications, but they don't possess jutsu powerful enough to shake a place like this. And neither does any in ANBU. The only ones having that sort of jutsu are me, Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama when cooperating with their summons." He paused before continuing in a low voice. "I think Kisame survived that night and is now making a new attempt at infiltrating this place. It would not bode well if any in the Akatsuki got to know about the seals branded on you. Now, let's go. The sooner we meet up with the others, the sooner we can find and help Remus-s. And the sooner we do that, the sooner we can get home and warn the village. And the sooner we do that, the sooner we can find a cure for that damn condition called werewolf."

Naruto nodded and followed his sensei through the door and down the corridor, being as quick and quiet they could. However, he had the sinking feeling that even if they got contact with their comrades and got the hell out of there, it would be far from over. For either of them.

End chapter 15.

AN:

Okay, I planned on having more interaction between Kisame and Remus in this chapter, but the other things kinda got out of hand. Besides, this seemed a good place to stop.

But fear not, the next chapter will start with a quick overview over what Kisame and Remus have been doing for the last week.

To those of you who might start questioning me about the numbers of injected Sound-nin: I currently work at a hospital, X-ray department. You will be quite surprised if you knew how many pictures we can take during one day. Well, I figured that the guys taking blood samples, who happens to be on the other end of the stairs, can take an equal amount of samples. And it doesn't take long time to prick one with a needle. And I just guessed that ninja and wizards/witches work faster than we do. If you have more questions regarding the matter, just ask and I will try explaining it better.

And if Sakura seemed bit OOC… I did that on purpose to show how much she care for Naruto and how loyal she is

Next chapter will be named: Ouch Time.

Oh, and one question: Should I keep to the Japanese names (Konoha, Oto, sama etc) or should I go with the English translations? I want to avoid any possible confusion.

Hoped you enjoyed the chapter.

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	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Ouch Time and Darkness

As they jumped through the glass roof, Kisame gave the man he had come to know as Inu a calculating look. The man had showed incredible stamina and raw muscle power as he had showed through their arm wrestling. He had also shown he could control his chakra well enough to run up tree trunks.

His taijutsu skills, however, were more than lacking. Or at least they had been. A low-level chuunin could probably outmanoeuvre him. His defence was acceptable, but his offence was dismal. A lot of unnecessary movement that was too wide, leaving him right open for counterattacks. Also, Kisame found it strange that one with a powerful chakra like that black one of Inu's couldn't stand on water.

Add to that, but he had been more than a bit clumsy with a kunai in hand. So how Inu had managed to stay alive for so long was simply beyond Kisame. He suspected it had something to do with the sinister black chakra he had displayed earlier.

The black chakra was also a reason Kisame suspected Inu for not being honest with him. Zetsu had come up blank concerning that strange black chakra, which was odd in itself, considering Zetsu's vast knowledge of jutsu and whatnot. The plant-like Akatsuki member had gone to speak to Madara about it and would be returning at dawn. By then, the Copy-Ninja and Jinchuuriki would be in their hands.

But despite his distrust towards Inu, Kisame also knew he might need a bit of help if push should come to shove against that monster again. Not to mention the other monster, the three-headed wolf, Inu had mentioned. So he decided to help Inu shape up.

Training program for each day: Taijutsu from morning to noon, from noon till late afternoon water-walking and an occasionally spar in the evening. That was why Kisame had been surprised by Inu's stamina. Most chuunin wouldn't have been able to complete the program, but Inu had done so, though he was sweating by the end of the day.

But after two days and no significant progress, Kisame had lost his patience and attacked like he would if they had been sparring. Then Inu had surprised him. Inu's reflexes were superb. While he left himself open when attacking, Inu evaded eight out of ten blows aimed at him. And when the hits got in, he quickly got on his feet again, making him able to defend against Kisame's next assault.

It was also during that 'spar', Inu had given Kisame yet another surprise. At one point, Inu had landed on the water, standing perfectly on it. It was only after Kisame had pointed out where he was standing Inu had fell through.

It was then Kisame had realized that showing and telling Inu how to move and control his chakra in order to walk on water wasn't enough. He needed to apply it to a real-life situation. So Kisame decided to train him by sparring with him almost all day long. And while he hid it well, the former Kiri-nin could see Inu was sore after sparring that much, as he winced with pretty much every step he took. However, the progress Inu made by the new program was, in Kisame's eyes, worth a little pain.

Inu could now fight on par with a chuunin in taijutsu and he stood on the water like it was quite natural to do. Kisame could only conclude that Inu was a genius fast learner when put under the right circumstances. And earlier this evening, Kisame had gotten the greatest astonishment of all: Inu had landed a kick, in the head no less, sending him crashing to the ground.

And he had to admit, the way Inu had did it had been quite spectacular. Like usual when they sparred, Kisame would herd Inu towards a nearby river and onto it. This time, once Inu was standing on the water, Kisame had charged in a way that would make any opponent jump into the air, making them an easy target for Kisame's true attack. However, Inu had done the exact opposite. He had stopped the flow of chakra to the bottom of his feet, making him go through the water surface.

Kisame had been so surprised by this that he was caught off-guard when Inu redirected his chakra flow with such force that he was propelled into the air, giving him enough altitude to deliver a kick for Kisame's face.

While Kisame wasn't entirely happy about being kicked like that, he was satisfied with Inu's progress. If he could land a kick on him, how lucky he may have been, he should be able to defend himself quite well. So after that, he had called off the training. After all, he needed Inu fresh for infiltrating and fighting, not exhausted after training that hard.

The remainder of the time they spent talking around the campfire, exchanging the stories of their life. They had quite a lot in common. Both were shunned and looked down upon for reasons they had no control over, both had been deceived by people they thought to be comrades, both were willing to sacrifice their lives for what they believed in.

They talked about why the Konoha-nin Kisame had spotted sometime during a night hadn't made a move against them. Inu suggested they were bidding their time, waiting for them to make the first move. Another option was that they were planning an attack.

Kisame had agreed and time was running out. However, he was curious about the stance Inu took every time they began their spars. Inu had shrugged and said that as a kid, he had practised something called karate, whatever that was. According to Inu, it was some sort of martial art that also focused on inner calmness, something that helped him control the black chakra.

But Kisame didn't ponder on it too much. They needed to act fast with those Konoha-nins around the corner. Otherwise things would get much more complicated. However, even as he formed the big water shark to divert the Oto-nin, he wondered why Samehada kept alerting him to a dangerous presence right next to him.

And that brought him back to the present. Inu didn't look much of a threat as he stood there in an Akatsuki cloak that was too big for him, bandaged and sore after the training. However, at times, Kisame was convinced he saw something sinister in the eyes of Inu, as if he had something evil lurking behind the facade of a young man.

Said man was currently eyeing the opening that led to the rest of the tower, ears and nose twitching slightly. Chuckling a bit, Kisame stood up in his full height. "Anything interesting?"

The voice of the blue-skinned man cut through the silence in the room, reminding Remus he wasn't alone. Shaking his head to clear his mind of the last memories he had of this cell, Lupin kept his focus on the door.

"You could say that."

That got Kisame's full attention. Readying Samehada, he stared towards the broken door. "What is it?"

Wetting his throat, considering how much he could divulge, and more importantly, how to make it believable, Remus answered. "I have a very sensitive nose. I think one of your friends has been taken from here and down to further levels."

Kisame raised an eyebrow, glancing at his companion. "And what makes you say that?"

Remus pointed to the floor. "Grey hair. And lots of dried blood. From the looks of it, he has been dragged towards out of the door. Or what remains of it. My guess is he was taken to the lower levels. And before you ask… I have seen enough blood to see the difference of direction. I'm telling you, he was dragged out of this room."

Well, that much was true. After many transformations and after seeing the aftermaths of lots of Death Eater attacks, Remus had become quite adept at telling the direction someone had gone by blood trails. And perhaps even worse, in which manner they were taken from there and what state they were in.

Kisame cocked an eyebrow, clearly impressed with his companion. 'Well well, looks like he isn't completely useless.'

"Let's go. We will see whether you are right or wrong."

Remus just nodded in response and they took off.

11111

For how long they descended, Remus didn't know. He was more focused on memorising the way. It was partially made easier by the blood trails, but after several left and right turns, he simply lost track of it. He just hoped his sense of smell would guide be enough for him to find Kakashi and Naruto and then find a way out of this place. As usual, fate had other plans. The two infiltrators turned a corner and ran straight into a group of Oto-nin and one of the attackers from that night, all wearing black cloaks.

Both men stopped dead in their tracks in surprise, both in their own thoughts. 'Why didn't I or Samehada detect those scums? Oh well, no matter. Since they have already discovered us, I see no point in continuing to keep it low.'

'Just like last time. Why didn't I smell or hear them?'

The next thing Remus knew was that he was roughly shoved out of the way as Kisame charged at the guards, clearly going for the man in armour, making short work of an Oto-nin who was too slow in getting out of the way of the charging behemoth. But Lupin soon got other things to worry about. Such as avoiding getting impaled by an enemy's tanto.

But fortunately, the two remaining Oto-nin decided to help the man in armour. Remus narrowly dodged a slash for his throat, frustrating the Oto-nin even more. Lupin was, however, too slow to evade when the Oto-nin brought the tanto back, cutting Remus' left cheek. He felt the slight throbbing of the wound and the small trickle of blood running down his cheek. But compared to his monthly transformations, it was like a mosquito bite; annoying, but not worth paying attention to. Still, getting his throat cut or his heart pierced was not on his list of things he wanted. Not that getting cut was, but he was pretty much beyond caring if he got another scar or not. But he also knew that if he wasn't careful, a wound could easily become something much more, perhaps even fatal.

It almost looked like Remus was dancing backwards as he continued dodging every hack and stab the Oto-nin launched at him, his werewolf reflexes and agility keeping him out of range of the blade. Unfortunately, he didn't get out of reach as his opponent aimed a kick for his chest.

Remus let out a groan as his back hit the wall. Not just because of the hard impact with wall, but also because the kick had hit a spot that was still sore after his training with Kisame. But he didn't have much time to recover as his opponent came at him again, tanto jabbing for Lupin's heart. It all happened so fast that Lupin barely managed to process what happened. One moment, the tanto is coming at him, the next it is stopped by Remus' hands, locked between his palms, inches away from piercing his Akatsuki cloak.

Remus looked down at the blade between his hands, eyes travelling up and down the edge, before locking eyes with the Sound-nin as the latter tried twisting the tanto loose. The Oto-ninja let out a small snarl and began raising his leg for a kick. However, Remus' instincts took hold and beat his opponent to it, sending the man several feet backwards. Growling at being disarmed like that, the Oto-nin drew a couple of kunai and charged again.

Time seemed to slow and almost everything became blurry. Remus rolled under the attack, got on his feet and spun while thrusting his arm forwards like he would when performing a spell. But instead of the sound and light of a spell being fired, he heard the sound of flesh being pierced, a surprised gasp, steel clattering to the floor, and the strained breath of someone desperately trying to get oxygen into his lungs.

Everything became clear and Remus let out a small gasp of horror at what he saw, realizing what he had done. The tanto he had taken was firmly planted in the chest of the enemy ninja, right where it would damage both heart and left lung.

Remus knew from the eyes that were glazing over that the man would be dead in a matter of seconds. The man stared wide eyed into Remus' eyes as he coughed, pulling down the mask obscuring the lower part of his face as he coughed up blood.

"You… you are one… but… then why… why are you not… why are you with Akatsuki?"

Remus frowned in bewilderment. The man's words made no sense to him. But before he could ask what he meant, the Oto-nin grew lax and his eyes glazed over. He was dead. Fighting against the rising bile in his throat and the smell of blood that was driving his inner wolf mad, Remus lowered the body of his opponent to the ground, closing the eyes of the Oto-nin.

"Took you long enough. Was starting to think I would have to step in."

Remus almost jumped at the sound of Kisame's voice, who sounded incredible bored. Turning around, he saw Kisame sitting atop the corpse of one the Oto-nin's, chin resting in the palm of his left hand. Neither he nor his clothes had gotten a scratch, and he looked just as bored as he sounded. As for the rest of the squad… all dead. And the man in the armour was halfway through a wall into a cell. A small scent of rotten flesh reached Remus' sensitive nose, but before he could investigate any further, Kisame tossed something at him.

Remus caught it in midair with a raised eyebrow before looking down at it. It was wireless radio, undoubtly taken from one of the guards. "A radio?"

Kisame nodded. "Try it."

Lupin frowned and put it on. The only thing he heard was buzzing, even when he tried establishing contact. "It has been jammed. We can't use it to keep track of other patrols."

Again, Kisame gave a curt nod. "Yes, unfortunately. As I told you, those Konoha dogs were nearby. My guess is that they have slipped in shortly after we did and blocked our enemy's communication. Inu-san, it is important we get to the… my friends, before those from Konoha do."

'Liar. Kakashi and Naruto are no friends of yours. You slipped up, Kisame.' Lupin thought, but just gave a small nod to show his understanding. Right now he really wanted to find out the secret of that armoured soldier.

Walking closer, the smell of rotten flesh got stronger, but not so it was overwhelming. Nevertheless, he bit back another round of bile and a small gasp as he stared down at the corpse. 'No… it can't be. This is an Inferius, no doubt about that. But they don't possess the powers they did when alive! So how…'

And then it clicked. "Orochimaru."

If Kisame was bored before, he certainly wasn't anymore. He had jumped to his feet at the mention of the name and now stood beside Remus, shifting between looking at the corpse of his enemy to the man he had come to know as Inu.

"What? What did you say?"

Lupin ventured a quick glance at his companion. Kisame's face was grim, anger showing in every feature. He would have to come with a convincing lie, and fast.

"This is the work of Orochimaru. Or at least, it has been influenced by him. I know of a man whom could reanimate corpses, make them do his bidding. However, they never used weapons or anything for that matter. They just strangled you to death, drowned you, whatever way they could kill you. Also, they are never working together in an organized group like we just saw. In either case, I know this man had dealings with Orochimaru in the past. It seems Orochimaru have taken the Inferi, the reanimated corpses, to another level."

Kisame frowned, contemplating what Inu had said. It sounded like something Orochimaru would do alright. And Orochimaru was powerful, no doubt about that. However, he was killed by Itachi's brother. Or at least that was what they heard. However, Kisame always had his doubts concerning that. It seemed unlikely that one who could escape Itachi with only losing a hand could be taken down that easily. Add to that, but the Sound Village was the village run by Orochimaru. Kisame couldn't say he understood what Inu had said, but one thought was more prominent than others.

"What I don't get is what those things are doing here. Orochimaru is dead. So why are those, those Infertus things, here?"

At this Remus let out a hollow laugh, without any mirth at all. Kisame growled, a frown creasing his brow. "What is so funny?"

Lupin just continued laughing, he almost sounded like a madman as he went into hysterics, without any happiness at all. Kisame was just about to tell him with his fists what he thought about Inu's behaviour, but then the laughing subsided to a low chuckle and finally silence. Kisame cocked his head to the side, now utterly confused by the behaviour of his, for the time being, partner. But when said partner spoke again, Kisame could clearly hear the bitterness in his voice.

"Dead? I don't know where you have heard that, Kisame, but you have been misinformed. Orochimaru is very much alive and kicking. And he is here, somewhere in those corridors."

In the next moment Remus' feet left the ground as Kisame grabbed him by the throat with one hand, hoisting him into the air.

"And you tell me this now? Give me one good reason as to why I shouldn't kill you right now, knowing that you kept it secret that a former member of the Akatsuki, the organization I'm member of, is behind all of this!"

'Former Akatsuki member? From what I have been able to gather here and there, Akatsuki is a terrorist organization. That was your second slip-up, Kisame.'

Struggling to breath, Lupin couldn't refrain from a somewhat cheeky reply. "You never asked. And another reason… you've got five to the right."

Kisame grunted in frustration as he dropped his companion to the ground. 'More annoying bugs.'

And with that they engaged the three Oto-nins and two Inferi in battle.

00000

Jiraiya cursed in his mind as he ducked another jet of green light. As he had predicted, getting in had been easy. However, since they had infiltrated this underground fortress, things had almost instantly turned sour. Despite Shikaku and Yamato jamming enemy communication, they had barely gone down a few storeys before they had encountered a woman in a black cloak, a skeleton mask hiding her face. At that time, she had been alone, but the moment she saw them, she draw a stick and in the next moment, a fireball was speeding towards them. In the small corridors and with no doors, it had been impossible for all of them to evade the fireball. That was, until Sakura made the floor beneath them disappear with a quick punch.

While not entirely happy with loosing their footing so abruptly, the Leaf-ninja still preferred that to being burned to crisps. But their opponent was not about to let them off that easily. She had a fired a beam of green light from her stick the moment the Konoha-ninjas steadied themselves on the rubble. It had missed, but it had still singed his hair.

He had tried catching her with one of his hair jutsu, but had only managed to knock off her mask. Once unmasked, Jiraiya decided that he might have wanted to spy on her some years prior. But Jiraiya didn't find her skull-like and gaunt face attractive at all. But another ball of fire, this time from her mouth, had brought him back to his senses.

The battle that had ensued from there, and was still going on, had created quite a havoc, despite them wanting to end the battle quickly, thus causing them to use ninjutsu right off the bat. But because that was the reason they hadn't been able to end the fight sooner. Add to that, but none of them could risk using their bigger moves due to the risk of hurting their teammates. In any case, three corridors were now either destroyed or badly messed up. And that woman was still going strong. Every time they tried a ninjutsu, she would wave that stick, and either some sort of force field or a wall of solid rock would rise. They could really use Kakashi's lightning nature right now. But Kakashi wasn't with them right now, so they would have to find another way to get through her defences. What was even more maddening was that due to the limited space in the corridors, it was impossible for them all to attack at once. And even Jiraiya and Yamato had been unable to use their Earth ninjutsu to sneak up on her.

Glaring at the funny-dressed, stick-waving woman in front of him, Jiraiya spoke. "Are you ready to give up yet lady?"

At this Bellatrix laughed. "Oh, is the biggy, old man growing tired?"

Yamato frowned. 'What is up with her? Doesn't she know she is dealing with one of the legendary Sannin? However, I don't like how she looks at us. But by the looks in her eyes, she can't be completely sane… which just makes her all the more dangerous.'

However, their opponent's next action surprised him. She bolted through a door to her right, effectively avoiding getting caught by Shikaku's shadow. It was only then they noticed something glinting in the light of the torches. She was wearing an oddly familiar necklace. Sakura was the first to recognize it.

"That necklace belongs to Naruto!"

Jiraiya felt his blood boil with rage. That bitch was going down, no matter how hot she might have been. "Get her!"

All of them rushed through the iron door, just to find themselves in a big room, almost like a hall. Four rows of stone pillars supported the ceiling and level twenty or so metres above them. The walls and pillars were filled with torches, illuminating the room. And by the far end stood the woman, cackling at them.

"Oh, the little leaves came all this way, to find two of their kind, not knowing they were too late. Little blond boy whined like a pig as he broke and the other..."

"YOU BITCH!"

Jiraiya was sure his jaw hit the ground when Sakura tore the massive iron door off its hinges and hurled it as easily like it was another shuriken at the offending woman. For a moment Jiraiya thought the door would hit its target, but a flash of light from the stick blasted the door to pieces and in the next moment they had to take cover behind the pillars as a true barrage of kunai and other sharp and pointy objects came their way at great speed.

Jiraiya frowned. 'What is up with that stick? But I guess it makes sense… an unusual way to perform unusual jutsu.'

The Toad Hermit gave the other Konoha-nins a quick nod and all of them leapt into action.

"Fireball!"

"Ninja Art: Shadow Possession jutsu!"

"Fang Over Fang!"

"Eat this!"

"Wood Element: Great Forest jutsu!"

Bellatrix widened her eyes at the numbers of attacks and the different directions from which they were coming. Everywhere from on the floor to several metres in the air. Cursing at this new turn, she send a Killing curse at the man to the right, forcing him to jump out of the way and thus ending his shadow jutsu.

Bellatrix allowed herself a small smile before forming hand seals. "Tiger, ox, dog, rabbit, snake: Wind Element, Great Breakthrough!"

Compared to Orochimaru, the attack was nothing, but it more than enough to send Sakura crashing into a pillar. She laughed and waved her wand and left hand, creating a force field that deflected Jiraiya's fireball and a dense wall of stone, instantly stopping the combined attack of Tsume and Kuromaru. She was, however, too slow to stop all of Yamato's attack and wood wrapped around her, immobilizing her.

The wood-user stepped closer to his trapped foe and the others joined after a bit recovering for Sakura, Tsume and Kuromaru. Yamato spoke voice was low and he spoke slowly, all the while eyeing the stick in his adversary's hand.

"You were that… that strange opponent Lupin-san fought in the forest that night. Who are you? And what have you done to Kakashi Hatake and Naruto Uzumaki?"

Something close to fear crossed Bellatrix's face when Yamato tightened his hold after not receiving an answer, but then she gave a slight twitch with her wrist holding her wand and Yamato let out a yelp as he felt a cut appear on his cheek. The surprise caused him to loosen his hold on the woman a bit too much and she spun on her heel, vanishing with a small 'pop'.

The Konoha-nins stared at the spot Bellatrix had vanished in disbelief, then around the room, trying to find the woman. None of them could believe she had escaped like that, but they didn't think for one minute she had left the scene.

Yamato ears were ringing with shame. 'I can't believe this… I had her, yet she escaped! And because of an insignificant scratch! A wood-user beaten with a twig… I'm going to be a laughing stock to the ANBU when this gets out. And Kakashi-senpai is going to scold me.'

Yamato hated admitting it, but he still remembered all too well the telling-off Kakashi gave him after screwing up on the first mission. In short, he had come out of hiding too early, alerting the enemy to the team's presence. The Konoha ANBU had not suffered any casualties, but Kakashi had been less than pleased that Yamato had attacked the Rogue-nin when he did, considering how far into Earth country they had been. If Iwa-nins had found them, it would most likely have resulted in a new war.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Yamato quickly surveyed the room for their foe. He spotted her by the entrance, waving the wand. 'Damn it!' "There she is!"

But before they could take even one step, the room was cast into darkness as all of the torches went out. They stood in complete darkness, anticipating a new attack from the deranged woman, but it never came. Or at least not in the way they expected. Ten seconds later, they wished she had attacked them directly. A snake made of blazing red flames appeared its head almost ten metres above the ground while it's curled up body blocked the way they had come in; which also happened to be the only way out.

Bellatrix cackled, glee written all over her face. "My name is Bellatrix Lestrange, the Dark Lord's most loyal servant! Remember that as you die like the thrash you are!"

With that she ran out the room and with another movement of her wand, a force field filled the empty space where the door used to be. They were trapped.

All of them cursing for walking into a trap like this they kept their attention on the fire snake. That was, till Tsume spoke. "Do you hear that?"

The men and Sakura frowned as they tried drowning out the sound of the snake's hissing and fire cackling. Sakura gasped. "There is… something… growling."

They all tensed as they concentrated a bit more. Sure enough, a low growling could be heard from somewhere in the room, somewhere in the darkness where the light provided by the snake didn't reach, outside their line of vision. The growling grew in volume and angry snarls mingled with it. Kuromaru located the sound, his keen hearing being better than any of the humans.

"Above us!"

All ninja turned their faces towards the ceiling and their eyes widened in alarm. Countless yellow eyes were glaring down at them, growling and snarling a lot like wolves would. All of the Konoha-nins spoke as one.

"This is not good."

00000

Remus felt like he was going to be sick as he and Kisame descended another set of stairs. 'I… I can't believe I just killed another man. I only wanted to knock the wind out of him, but I ended up killing him.'

Moony just snorted. '_Still clinging on to your idiotic morals, Remus? If you haven't noticed yet, those two you have killed in this world were more than ready to kill you._'

Lupin sighed. 'And that means I should lower myself to their level? Death Eaters have been out for my neck before, and I defeated those without taking their lives. And with exception of that… that night, I have only killed when it was necessary to keep my cover among our kin. And it was only as a last resort.'

Moony only growled in response. '_Fool. Admittedly, the loss of our first mate and cubs still hurt me as well, if only a little. But your pathetic ideals are the reason why they died. If you had killed every single Death Eater you have fought, they might still be alive this day. Not to mention all of those others that might have been saved if you decided to end things with your enemies once and for all. Who knows? Perhaps we wouldn't be here if you had had the guts to finish off that bastard when you had the chance the first time around. Then again, if you had, I would most likely still have been in that damn cage._'

Remus cringed. Moony was right. He had disarmed Dolohov at some point during their fight, but due to a slight hesitation and distraction on Remus' part, the Death Eater had retrieved his wand and, well, the rest is history.

Kisame and Remus glanced around as they took in the corridors around them. It looked like the rest of them. Kisame cursed.

"This is maddening. All of those blasted corridors look the same! How am I supposed to bring the Copy-Ninja and the boy to my superiors when I can't find any of them in this maze?"

'Slip-up number three, Kisame.' "Not counting the tower levels, this is the fifteenth level. I… watch out!"

Before Kisame could do anything, he felt the smaller man shove him aside and in the next moment he saw Inu crash through a door with something big and hairy. The sounds coming from the room were a bit disturbing to say the least. Growling, snarling, screams, howls, flesh being torn. Then, only snarling. But just as he was about to poke his head in, the sound of a fist making contact with flesh sounded, and in the next second the attacker was flying out of the door opening and into the opposite wall.

However, it was soon on its feet again and Kisame stared. It was a replica of the beast he had fought that night, except this one was smaller. Glancing at the door, he saw the man called Inu emerge. He was a bloody mess, literally. Several gashes covered the right side of his face, covering it in blood. His clothes were torn and bloody, clearly from newly inflicted wounds. He also spotted a slight limb to his left leg.

Kisame frowned. He couldn't believe the man in front of him had just punched the creature that hard. Then again, he had almost just seen him kill a man with a single blow to the liver. Inu claimed he had only intended to incapacitate or knock the wind out of his opponent, but Kisame had heard the liver collapse and seen the amount of dark blood the Oto-nin had spit out.

Remus was staring at the creature in front of him, eyes wide with disbelief and confusion. 'It… it can't be. That is… that is a werewolf!'

'_Gee, you think? You know Remus; sometimes your genius astounds me._'

But Lupin didn't have much time contemplating Moony's scathing remark as the creature charged again. He dodged once, but the werewolf, or whatever it was, got him on its second attempt and they both took a tumble down the stairs.

Kisame tilted his head to the left. "Guess he wasn't so tough after all."

But barely had the thought crossed his mind before he heard a woman shout something along the lines of 'stupefy', and the next thing he knew was that he was hit in the head by a flash of red light, causing him to fly one or two metres through the air. As he hit the ground, he felt Samehada leave his fingers.

Inwardly growling, Kisame stood up. "Now… you have made me angry. Water Element: River Bullet!"

Bellatrix felt her eyes widen and she hastily put up a Shield charm. But shield or no shield, Bellatrix was blasted down the hall and out of sight by the massive amount of water being fired from Kisame's mouth, flooding the corridor.

Kisame smirked as Samehada returned to his hand. "And that was that."

But barely had he uttered those words before two more of those creatures arrived around the corner, growling and snarling. Kisame stared at them before matching the gesture. He sure hoped Madara had a very good reason for wanting the Copy-Ninja alive, for this mission was getting really tiresome when he couldn't use his more serious stuff. But for now, he would enjoy tearing those monsters apart.

11111

Remus groaned as he was thrown through a door. He and the werewolf had tumbled down two levels and it was only due to sheer dumb luck he didn't break anything. Unfortunately, his adversary had had the same luck. But he didn't have time to dwell on whether he should bless or curse his luck, for in the next moment he heard the sound of steel moving through air and he to roll out of the way as an Oto-nin tried hitting his neck with a tanto.

Once his roll came to a stop, he got to his feet, but he was too slow to avoid the next attack. He let out a hiss of pain as he felt the blade cut across his thigh. Ignoring the pain in the old wound that just been ripped open, he disarmed the next blow with a swift and light punch to the wrist holding the weapon and followed up by elbowing the Oto-nin in the face, making his opponent stumble backwards.

He was, however, soon engaged in combat by the werewolf again as it joined the fray once again, clearly having recovered completely from their little wrestle match down the stairs. He went crashing to the ground by a well-aimed hit to the side of his head, four long gashes appearing by the werewolf's claws.

Coughing up blood, Lupin rolled just in time to avoid his head being crushed as the creature brought down its left foot, stamping like one would on a bug. In order to gain the advantage, Lupin resorted to a dirty trick. Or at least it would have been deemed at such in his world.

He locked his left leg around the ankle of his opponent's corresponding leg and dealt a quick and hard kick right under the creature's left knee and he heard the bone crack, followed by a howl of pure agony as the monster went down.

Slowly getting back on his feet, Remus picked up the tanto and pointed the blade at the creature. '_Kill it Remus, kill it now! Kill it now when you have the chance!_'

Remus shook his head, eyes never leaving the whimpering werewolf in front of him. 'I can't do that, Moony. He acknowledges me as the stronger, as the alpha. I won't deny the thought has crossed my mind, but unlike the other times I killed a fellow werewolf, this match was not about getting a place in the hierarchy, so I cannot rightfully take his life in cold blood.'

Moony's snarl of anger almost made Lupin cringe. '_FOOL!_ _Do you think this one would be just an ounce as noble as you are now? No, it would kill you on the spot! So kill it!_'

Lupin lowered the blade a few inches. 'I will not kill fellow werewolves unless I absolutely have to.'

'_Idiot! It's not like us! It's not a werewolf! Can't you smell it?_'

Remus had by then lowered the blade completely. But as soon Moony stopped screaming at him, his brow furrowed as a strange scent bombarded his sensitive nose. Much to his shock, it came from the werewolf, who had stopped whimpering as it looked up at him. However…

'There is something wrong here. It's without a doubt a werewolf, but… the scent of human is too strong. But that can't be… unless… this is not a…'

He never managed to finish that thought for the werewolf, or semi-werewolf, let out a roar of rage and leapt up at Remus, broken leg or not. Lupin let out a scream of pain as he felt the werewolf-like creature's teeth pierce his skin, the longest of its fangs scraping his collarbone.

After one minute, the semi-werewolf let go of Remus, and the latter stumbled backwards into a corner, pain coursing through his body from where he had been bitten. Panting, Remus felt himself let go of the tanto, pressing a hand to the wound, hoping to stop the bleeding. The Sound-ninja stepped closer, a small smirk gracing his features as he pulled out a kunai from his cloak, the semi-werewolf standing beside him.

"You have been bitten, Akatsuki scum. Now you will join Orochimaru-sama's noble cause! You will now help us create an army like us!"

Remus felt like a switch went off in his brain. 'Noble cause… Orochimaru… create more monsters. Those guys… are insane.'

He felt his lips curl upwards and he bared his teeth at the two lackeys of Orochimaru. It was clear they waited for something. One minute passed, in which they just glared at each other. Then the Oto-nin face contorted into a grimace of impatience.

"It would seem you didn't get enough of the virus. Bite him again."

Lupin narrowed his eyes as the creature attacked him again. His body still hurt and he recognized the feeling of the werewolf-virus running through his body. However, he knew what the real werewolf-virus felt like and he had survived being bitten several times by Greyback as a child and still managed to move, so there was no way in hell he was going to break down now. Besides, he could feel Moony's power fighting against the virus and he appeared to more than a match for it. That thought firmly in mind, Lupin prepared himself for the next assault.

The creature in front of him snarled and charged. But the attack clearly didn't go as the two soldiers of Orochimaru thought it would. One second the monster was making its move against Remus, the next it was hold at arm's length by Lupin, left hand holding the creature's right wrist while his right hand held it by the throat.

Remus growled in a wolf-like way as he brought the creature closer to himself, making the monster struggling for breath as he tightened his hold on its throat. "You tried ruining my life… I showed you mercy… yet you attempted to kill me for my kindness. That… will cost you your life."

He tightened his hold a bit more and spoke in a low voice. However, the voice was much more feral and deeper than the one of Remus Lupin. "Die… you disgusting half-breed."

Then, with a quick twist of his wrist, he snapped the creature's windpipe and it fell to the ground, not making a sound.

The Oto-nin stared wide-eyed at his fallen companion. "But… but how? You should have turned by now! Orochimaru-sama never fails! Why haven't you transformed? The alterations of the virus Orochimaru-sama made should into one of us! So why…"

"Because I'm a pureblood. I'm a true werewolf. A carrier of the original virus. But that little tidbit of information isn't going to help you… for soon you will be dead."

Gritting his teeth and hissing slightly from the pain still coursing in his body, Remus took a step towards the Oto-nin and gave a slight flick with his right hand. The Oto-nin's eyes widened slightly as he witnessed the tanto fly into the right hand of the advancing enemy who had just killed one of Orochimaru's creations with his bare hands. But then he smirked widely.

"You don't actually think you can kill me, do you? Look at you, you are a bloody mess. You can hardly stand And… I can turn too."

Remus just took another step forward. And another. And another. The Oto-nin growled and attacked with the kunai but Lupin simply blocked the attack with the tanto and disarmed the Sound-nin with an elbow in the face… again.

Snarling, the Oto-nin put his fingers together in the hand seal used to gather his chakra. "Cha…"

But he never got further than that, for in the next moment Remus moved with greater speed than the Oto-nin would have believed him capable of. And before the Oto-nin could utter a word or make a move to defend himself, Remus used his inhuman strength to cleave his enemy's head in two, the tanto first stopping when it was near the nose, blood spraying all over the place, including Remus' face.

But he didn't care. He was so caught up in his anger that he only snapped out of it when he licked his lips, tasting his enemy's blood.

'_It tastes good, doesn't it, Remus? And feels good too, right?_'

Remus agreed. He couldn't deny that killing a man, and an enemy to boot, felt good. It felt good getting release for the pent-up frustration and anger he had build up the last couple of years, feelings he had been unable to show back home, fearing that doing so would break the cage he had kept Moony in. Sorrow over the loss of Sirius, Dumbledore, his families, frustration that Harry and his friends wouldn't accept his help on their hunt for the Horcruxes, let alone tell him what they were after, anger that Dumbledore hadn't told them about what Voldemort had done in order to ensure his immortality.

To top it off, he was now in a world that so unlike his own without any means of getting back, and a lunatic had copied Voldemort's idea of a way to immortality and had created monsters like his own alter form, although on a lesser level.

Glancing down at the corpse of the Oto-nin, Remus felt a slight twinge of pity for the man and nausea at the weapon he had planted in the middle of the man's face, starting from brow and down. But that feeling was soon replaced by determination as he looked at the body of the semi-werewolf. In the deep recesses of his mind, he knew he was to blame for the creation of it. But whatever pity he had had for man when he remembered what he had said before he died.

'And… I can turn too.'

Remus didn't need to think about what that meant, especially combined with what was said earlier. It meant that there were more men and creatures like the ones he had just slain. And what made Remus' blood boil even more, was the fact that they most likely had welcomed the 'blessing' or 'gift', as Greyback often referred to their lycanthropy.

Caught up in his anger, Remus squatted down and moved his through the pool of blood that had former under the Oto-nin's head. If this had happened less than one month earlier, he would have taken his own life on the spot, but he licked the enemy's blood from his fingers, making Moony howl with ecstasy, and he found himself smiling slightly, a little euphoria hitting him as well.

'What in the world have I been thinking, denying Moony and myself this pleasure?

But that thought was soon replaced with the thought of his new mission: He was the cause of this mess, he would make it right again. And he knew how to do that: He had to kill every single one of those pseudo-werewolves, and if he could manage it, Bellatrix and Orochimaru.

A little rational thought returned to him. "Breath Remus, breath. You need to get Kakashi and Naruto out of here. Then comes correcting this mess."

That thought firmly in mind, and ignoring Moony's ecstasy filled howls, Remus set out on his new mission. It was only in the deepest recesses of his mind that Lupin acknowledged that the control he had been building up since he was bitten, a control that had only been broken once on that terrible night eighteen years ago, was now gone, allowing the urges of Moony to take hold of him.

But he didn't care anymore. All that mattered was his mission.

End chapter 16

AN: I originally intended for this chapter and the next to be one, but after seeing how this chapters was already on roughly 15 pages, I decided to cut them up in two. Thus a slightly new chapter title.

A few things you might be wondering:

The reason why Kisame could handle Bellatrix so easily was because he didn't have any teammates to worry about.

The first Sound-nin Remus killed was a sensor-type who sensed Moony within Remus.

Cookie for those who can spot the symbolism in the chapter.

I hope this chapter turned out alright and was worth waiting for.

Next time: Of Blades and Truth.

16


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Of Blades and Truth.

Remus was growing frustrated. It was clear that there were more than one staircase to the lowest levels of this hellhole and not just one big that went all the way to the bottom. Why it was designed that way was no brainer. Whoever had build this place clearly wanted to confuse and delay any enemy that managed getting this far. Not that that knowledge was of any help to him right now. He had found three staircases that led down to the lower levels, but each of them was being guarded by two pseudo-werewolves, two Inferi, and several Oto-nins.

Taking them all on at once would be suicidal. Yes, he was strong and fast due to his lycanthropy, and as he learned some time ago, his heritage, but he wasn't about to challenge two Inferi that most likely were more resilient and dangerous than the ones he knew back in England when they were backed-up by Oto-nin whose powers were still unknown.

It didn't help either that his keen hearing was picking up the sounds of battle. Actually it only stressed him more as he didn't know whether or not it was friends who were fighting or if it was Kisame.

'Besides,' he thought dryly, 'I'm wearing enemy colours, seen from the viewpoint of Kakashi's friends. And considering I didn't return after my little fight earlier on, Kisame probably thinks I'm dead. So if he finds me again, he is going to think I betrayed him. In short: I'm on my own.'

That pretty much summed up his current situation. However, he was also learning new things about the pseudo-werewolves. Most interesting was that their sense of smell didn't seem to be as strong as his. Granted his clothes and skin were stained with the blood of the Oto-nins he killed, Lupin knew he would have been able to tell the difference. He had been cut and whatnot enough to have bled to death if not for his healing abilities.

Mind you, his wounds didn't just disappear, but they closed up much quicker than the ones inflicted on any other human, preventing him from losing too much blood, making it close to impossible for him to bleed to death. And the irony was not lost on Remus.

His lycanthropy, the condition he as he as a kid and young man loathed and would gladly have given the world to be rid off, was now the reason he was alive and kicking. Heck, it was his greatest advantage right now.

James and Sirius used to tell him he was too noble. And seen in hindsight, they had a point. Even when he was duelling Death Eaters, Remus wouldn't use his brute force and speed to physically take them out. He had wanted to prove that a werewolf could be just a good a duellist and wizard like any other wizard. It had also been why he studied so much during his school years. To prove many of the prejudices concerning werewolves wrong. It was too late that Remus realized that it wasn't his skills and knowledge in a class or duel as a wizard that would prove his worth as a werewolf.

What would prove his worth as werewolf was how he used the abilities his condition gave him. Abilities that wizards feared and hated. He just wished he had stuck to that conclusion after a certain incident during his fourth year. If he had, Sirius, and probably many others, would still be alive.

But now it was only his skills and abilities on the field of battle that mattered. If he wasn't good enough, he wouldn't be the only one to die.

But just as it couldn't get any more difficult getting past the ones guarding the stairs, he heard a faint and low 'pop' and he had to reign in himself and Moony for not charging at Bellatrix as she approached the guards. She clearly hadn't seen him, and he used years of training evading Filch and other teachers to blend in with the shadows, his keen ears picking up every word Bellatrix uttered.

"They need reinforcements upstairs. That blue freak is slowly overpowering them with his brute force. Go! Go and make our master proud!"

All guards of the guards hurried in the opposite direction of Remus, and he figured there was a hidden passage or something that would take them to the upper levels. Venturing a swift look, he saw Bellatrix descending the stairs. Biting back a growl, and moving with all the stealth only a werewolf could, he gave chase, confident that Bellatrix would lead him to Kakashi and Naruto.

Quickening his pace, but still moving without a sound, he saw Bellatrix halfway down the corridor. His hearing picked up her angry mutterings.

"Humiliated by a disgusting Mudblood! One attack and I was flushed away like some other kind of thrash. If I hadn't Apparated while underwater, I would have been smashed against the wall. But I will teach him a lesson, just wait. And… Wind Element: Air Bullet!"

Remus cursed softly as Bellatrix spun around; ready to launch what most likely was some sort of jutsu. Apparently he hadn't suppressed one of his growls enough and she had heard. He reacted instinctively, hands quickly forming the hand seals for the first jutsu he learned.

"Fire Element: Great Fireball jutsu!"

Bellatrix blanched when she saw a ball of hot fire coming towards her, and it only grew in size when her own attack connected, making it fill the entire corridor. And with the speed it coming, it was impossible for her to Apparate, much less draw her wand. So she did the only thing she could: Jumped through an open door and watched at the blazing ball passed by before exploding as it hit a wall.

Drawing her wand, she jumped out in the corridor and fired a jet of green light in the direction from where the attack had come from. But the Killing Curse just hit the staircase. Bellatrix narrowed her eyes before spinning around and firing several curses down the hall. There was nothing, except for the scorched floor, wall, ceiling and a hole in the wall where the fireball had hit.

Slowly scanning her surroundings, she noticed how most of the torches had been burned to crisps or just destroyed, casting the hall into darkness, save a few puddles of burning oil. She heard it before she saw it.

She crouched down, easily ducking out of the way of the knife, but as she fired a Killing Curse in the direction of where the knife had came from, she realized her opponent was steps ahead of her. Another kunai was heading for her head in her crouched position, the sound of it coming through the hair hidden by sound of her own curse.

Swearing, she jumped upwards and much to her displeasure, she had to tuck away her wand less it got snapped by a third kunai.

As she landed on her feet again, she barely had time to compose herself before she had to duck and block a couple of punches. She got a hold of her attacker's wrist and delivered a hard kick to the offending person's chest. She stared before letting out a shriek of fury.

"YOU! HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE YOU FILTHY MONSTER?"

Remus Lupin just narrowed his eyes at her, and she could see the wolf in him, the bloodlust shining in his amber eyes. "It doesn't matter. But tell me: How did you get to… no you don't!"

Remus had seen Bellatrix reach for her wand and he instantly charged, and soon Bellatrix was occupied with blocking every punch thrown at her, making her way too busy to reach for her wand again. However, it soon became evident that Bellatrix was no beginner in taijutsu. First she landed a punch to his jaw, followed with a swift kick to his stomach, a knee to his face as he doubled over, and a quick kick to the side of his face, sending him tumbling into a wall and crashing to the ground.

Lupin spit out a bit of blood and stood up, a small smirk gracing his face. "Fast but weak punches and kicks. Although I've got to admit it hurt a bit. It's clear you have been practising taijutsu for some time now. Tell me… how can it be you are here anyway? Dimension-travel is something far beyond your competences after all."

Bellatrix's face contorted in fury. "How dare you! Beyond my competence? The Dark Lord has taught me many great things and I now possess powers you could even begin to fathom!"

Remus snorted, smirk growing a bit. "Really? I have my doubts about that. Considering you haven't been able to kill me yet despite you using a wand, I think I can quite fathom your so-called power. Nothing to be impressed about."

He knew he was playing a dangerous game with Bellatrix. He was wandless and Bellatrix was known for being mentally unstable. But he knew from experience that if you gave enough jabs and jibes to a person's intelligence and so on, said person would spill his secrets in order to prove you wrong. And going by the twitching of Bellatrix's jaw and the hatred and anger in her eyes, it was working out quite well.

He wasn't disappointed.

"How dare you mock me, you filthy half-breed! I utilized my knowledge of Blood Magic to create an artificial body to which I transferred some of my blood, and thus my life-force. And by doing so, I ensured my survival. I made it so that should I be killed in either world, all of my memories should be transferred to my other self. So I have a score with that filthy blood-traitor, Molly Weasley. She won't be that lucky the next time I see her."

Remus felt his eyes widen for the fraction of a second. 'Molly killed Bellatrix during the battle? That must have quite a blow to Voldemort and his Death Eaters. And Bellatrix used Blood Magic eh? That explains a lot.'

Lupin might not be an expert at Blood Magic, but he knew quite a bit about it. It was one out of three ways something close to immortality could be achieved: Horcruxes, Blood Magic and the Philosopher's Stone. But he had his knowledge about Blood Magic due to the fact that it was one of the many things his parents researched in order to find a cure when he was bitten all those years ago, despite being one of the darkest magic you could come across. And he had a feeling about what spell, or rather ritual, Bellatrix had used.

"Dark Blood Rebirth and Re-Creation, if I'm not mistaken."

Bellatrix tilted her head, impressed against her will. "You seem to know a lot, werewolf."

Remus gave a short nod. "I also know that the wizard has to repeat the spell, or ritual, every fifty year or so. Otherwise, the magic will be lost forever."

Bellatrix laughed. "Perhaps you are bit more intelligent than the rest of your filthy kin. But now you will die!"

But before Bellatrix could do anything or Remus attempt to evade, the latter felt something wrap tightly around his torso and seconds later he hissed in pain as something bit down on either side of his neck. It didn't become any better when he was abruptly yanked backwards before and smashed through a wooden door.

Slightly groggy from the impact, Lupin registered two things: Pain was spreading from the two points and he didn't need Moony's hiss of '_Poison_' to figure out that one. The second was two voices.

"But my Lord! That filthy creature…!"

"I will deal with him, Bellatrix. Now, start evacuating our forces and as many of the prisoners you can. Kisame, the dear boy, is going to lose his patience very soon. And he has a bad habit of doing drastic things when that happens."

Lupin didn't hear the respond of Bellatrix, but he got other things to worry about. Orochimaru stood in the doorway, reptile eyes staring and with a twisted smile pulling in the corner of his lips.

"You have a lot of nerve, Remus-kun. Very few would attempt getting in after managing to escape."

Remus just growled, anger surging through his blood anew. "You! Have you any idea what you have done? You have created monsters! Monsters you can't control!"

Orochimaru's smile only grew. "Oh, but you are wrong. I can control those beautiful beasts."

Lupin felt his heart skip a beat. 'He can control those monsters? But how?' But in the end he knew it didn't matter. Baring his teeth, he got on his feet and charged at the Sannin. But Orochimaru was faster as both of them stepped out in the corridor again.

Serpents shot out from his left sleeve, wrapped themselves around Remus and with a slight movement of his wrist, Orochimaru tossed Remus several metres down the corridor. Giving him an amused smile, Orochimaru spoke again.

"Got anything else, werewolf?"

Lupin growled in his throat and felt his eye teeth get pointy as he got on his feet again, his irises growing bright amber. Had a normal wizard seen him now, with the puddles of burning oil on the floor as the only source of light, he would have hightailed out of there, the dried blood only making Remus look even more murderous and insane.

Then something happened that Remus wouldn't have expected in a million years. He felt his eye teeth change back to their normal shape. 'What? But Moony wouldn't…'

'_No I wouldn't give up my control, but this venom is proving to be a bit more difficult to deal with than I anticipated. Give me a few more minutes._'

'I don't have a few more minutes. Time to end this.'

'_No! Remus, wait!_'

But it was too late. Lupin charged yet again, and it most likely because his foolish action surprised Orochimaru he was able to land a hit to the Sannin's jaw followed by a kick to his stomach. The final punch hit Orochimaru in the face, causing him to stumble backwards. But then the Sannin got over his surprise and he licked his lips, his words making shivers go down Remus' spine.

"So you want to play? Interesting."

Orochimaru charged and soon they were engaged in a taijutsu match. They exchanged blows and kicks, Remus receiving considerably more than he dished out. The fight came to a rather abrupt halt when ceiling, walls and floor started shaking.

"What the…?"

Orochimaru chuckled, causing Remus to look at him. "Seems Kisame lost his patience. But don't worry. It will take at least thirty minutes before the drains can't keep up. After then, this place will be flooded. To think this is how the home of my ancestors should meet its end."

Remus didn't care about the historical information. Especially since Orochimaru didn't seem to think too much of it anyway "And what about Kakashi and Naruto?"

At this Orochimaru let out a mournful sigh. "Unfortunately, they will perish along with the castle. I would have liked to run more tests on them. What a shame."

Lupin snarled, not just because of Orochimaru's words but because, for a short moment, his vision blurred. But he still needed to know something.

"The cloaks you and your men wear… what exactly are they?"

Orochimaru tilted his head slightly, licking his lips. The more time he could buy, the better. "Oh, you noticed? I created them based on your world's invisibility cloaks… with the help from Voldemort. You see, I intended to create invisibility cloaks but then I remembered something: We shinobi usually detect our enemies through other means and senses than sight. In other words, making Invisibility Cloaks would be pointless. So I made a few modifications. While wearing those cloaks, the cloaks mask your scent and sound… even your chakra. I call those 'Ghost Cloaks'."

The Sannin narrowed his eyes and a shadow seemed to fell over his face, and Remus could only guess something had angered him. And he was right.

"Unfortunately, when he left, Voldemort took the prototypes with him. So I had to start from scratch when I began making them again. It took quite a while recreating them when I had to make them sidelong my other projects. But now I have equipped all of my werewolves with those cloaks and have more in production in another base." The corridor was suddenly filled with noise as what could only be siren went off. On the same time, several lamps appeared from the ceiling, blinking red. Orochimaru smiled. "Time is running out for you now, Remus-san."

Lupin mentally swore. Orochimaru was right. Remus wanted to know how he had improved those Inferi, but he needed to get to Kakashi and Naruto… and fast. Focusing as much as he could, he took a deep breath and attempted something he hadn't done for quite a while.

"Accio tanto!"

At this Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "A spell no doubt. And it seems to involve the weapon of one of my soldiers. But I'm afraid that without your wand, the incantation is not worth anything. Now let me show… hmm?"

A very familiar sound was coming from behind him. The sound of steel slicing in the wind. Turning his head slightly as he looked over his left shoulder, he saw a bloody tanto spinning down the hall towards them. Smiling, Orochimaru simply moved his head out of harms way. However, he felt the tanto cut through three of his hair tips. Orochimaru licked his lips as he once again focused on Remus whom was pointing the tanto at him.

"You wizards… your abilities never cease to intrigue me. Wandless magic… according to Voldemort, that is something very difficult to accomplish. And you want to settle this by the sword? Very well… I will accommodate you. Bueah!"

Remus felt his eyes widen in surprise. "That is… that is…"

'_That is gross that is what it is. But I gotta hand it to that snake… it is a good way to keep your weapon hidden. But I could do without the barfing part._'

Remus gave a soft snort at Moony's comment, eyeing the blade Orochimaru was wielding. It was double-edged, and he had to admit, had a beautiful guard and handle. But he didn't have time admiring the sword, for in the next moment, Orochimaru stepped closer.

"Now… let us see how good you really are."

With those words, the Snake Sannin attacked. It was hard blocking in the semi-dark, and the blinking red light only made it harder to keep an eye on the blade and man. But despite the dim light, Remus noticed something: Orochimaru was only attacking with the flat sides of the sword.

'I'm getting nowhere with this. And that bastard is playing with me. Well then, how about this?'

Ducking under a swing from Orochimaru, Remus made a slash for the Sannin's thigh. It didn't hit the way Remus intended, but the tearing of his clothes still made Orochimaru's amused smile disappear.

"You are better than I thought." Then a small smirk crept over his lips. "Guess play-time is over."

And over it was. Remus was more than just surprised when Orochimaru cut right through the tanto with one hit. Discarding the remains of the short sword, Remus was suddenly busy avoiding burning oil and a sharp sword. Lupin gave a wry grin after thirty seconds of their little dance.

"Is that all you got?"

Orochimaru snarled at the insult. "We shall see who laughs when this is over."

And so they continued for almost one minute, Remus all the while thanking Kisame for the intense training. Without that, he would have gotten his head chopped off ten times at least. However, like all good things, it must come to an end.

"GYAAAH! MY EYE!"

Orochimaru laughed as Remus clutched his left eye, thrashing on the floor. "Do you still think you stand a chance, boy? I've got much more up my sleeve. But you have been amusing me so far, so I guess we can play some more."

Remus stopped thrashing on the floor and moved his hands from his left eye. Squinting through his right one, he saw both hands were covered in blood.

'_Your eye is done for human. Don't try opening it._'

'Tell me something I don't know Moony. For instance how I could get hit when there was several inches between me and the tip of the blade.'

The Sannin seemed to read his mind. "Incredible sharpness is not the only thing that makes this sword so superior to others. Its blade is extendable."

Remus spit out some blood and put his left hand to his eye, hoping to stop the bleeding faster, all the while glaring at his adversary through his narrowed right eye. "I see. But all in all, it's just a sword."

Orochimaru narrowed his gaze. The way Lupin spoke of his weapon… it was too casual. He clearly didn't acknowledge the sword, and thus Orochimaru's superiority. He would not let such insolence go unpunished.

"You will pay for your insolence, Remus Lupin. Now… you shall die."

With that he charged, sword poised high over his head, ready to strike. He saw Remus ground his teeth against the pain he must be feeling as he pushed himself to his knees, right eye never leaving him. Orochimaru swung the sword at the same time Lupin rose to his feet, intending to cleave the battered man in half. But the Sannin was in for a rather unpleasant surprise. The sword came to an abrupt halt, its edge inches from Lupin's brow, blade safely locked between Lupin's palms. Even when Orochimaru began twisting the blade, making the edges dig into Remus' hands, the younger man refused letting go.

The next thing came as an utter shock for Orochimaru. Lupin, though clearly weakened, aimed a kick for his stomach. Distracted, Orochimaru loosened his grip on the sword. That was all what Remus needed. Knowing he couldn't afford to lose this battle, Remus mustered all the willpower and strength he could in his weakened state. A quick pull, a little twirl with his hands, and the next thing Orochimaru knew was the Sword of Kusanagi through his chest, Remus Lupin glaring at him with one eye, his face covered in blood and perspiration.

Remus didn't stop shoving the sword through Orochimaru till the guard of it hit the Sannin's chest and he had backed him up against a wooden door, the sword going through the door as well.

"Perhaps… Voldemort… didn't tell you this: Even in human form… werewolves… recover faster than normal humans. I have no doubt… that my left eye… is beyond healing. Even my own healing power can't fix such severe damage."

Getting his breath under control and ignoring the flow of blood and sweat, Lupin growled out two things he really wanted to know.

"How did you make those Inferi so strong? And more importantly: where are Kakashi and Naruto?"

Orochimaru just smiled, unnerving Remus by how well he was faring considering he had sword through his chest.

"You don't need to know. As for your friends… why don't you go look?"

Lupin just growled and twisted the sword slightly, making Orochimaru wince a bit in discomfort as the blade jarred his insides. "Last warning. Where?"

Orochimaru chuckled. "I guess I can tell. Consider it a reward for entertaining and surprising me so greatly. Bottom level. But even if you should find them, none of you will survive this."

Remus just narrowed his eye. "I take the chance." With that he pulled out the Sword of Kusanagi and began walking away.

'_Who would have thought you could be so cold, Remus? You just left that man to die. Brutal, especially for you._'

'That man… no… that monster, didn't care about what he did... he felt no remorse creating more monsters. He is no better than Greyback. And…'

"Buaarghg!"

'_What was that?_'

Lupin turned around and saw something that both made him sick to his core and his eye widened in disbelief and disgust.

'Impossible.'

'_Tch. And just when I thought that snake couldn't be more disgusting. Guess I was wrong._'

Indeed. Orochimaru spitting out himself was not the most charming sight to behold. Gritting his teeth in frustration, Remus raised the sword again, arms shaking slightly.

"Why aren't you dead?"

Orochimaru just chuckled as he brushed his hair away. "Never trust a stranger's directions when looking for something. You might end up in the wrong place."

"Meaning?"

Orochimaru just laughed. "I found out other ways to improve myself… to ensure immortality."

Remus stared at him before giving disdainful snort. "There are no such things as true immortality. Your name might live on because of what you have done. What you call immortality is nothing more than just extending your life. You are still depending on the measures you have taken."

Orochimaru narrowed his gaze and was about to take a step towards the offending younger man, but a small beam of water shooting out of the wall made him reconsider. Glancing at the sword still pointed at him, Orochimaru licked his lips before letting out a small sigh.

"It would appear I have played around too much. Continuing this fight would be pointless. Keep the sword for now… I will come collect it once you are dead. Oh, and beautiful necklace by the way. I think I will keep it this time around instead of giving it to Bellatrix."

Lupin glared as Orochimaru flaunted the necklace Remus had taken from Bellatrix during their skirmish as the pale man vanished in slow burning flames. Orochimaru must have taken it during their fight, just like Lupin himself had done with Bellatrix. Cursing the Sannin, Remus rested against the wall, trying his best to get his breath under control.

'_You don't have time to rest, Remus. This place is falling apart. We need to get out, now!_'

"No. I did not go through that training and trouble with Kisame in order to break into this hellhole just to turn back. I'm getting Kakashi and Naruto out of here."

Moony snorted. '_Don't be foolish human. You have lost an eye. If that wasn't enough, you have a poison coursing through your body; venom I haven't been able to nullify. It will be a miracle if you survive long enough to get medical treatment._'

Remus gasped as a fresh bout of agony ran through his body, followed by an explosion of pain in his head. "You don't need to neutralize the venom, Moony. Just keep it in check. Can you do that?"

Moony growled. '_Yes, I can do that. But I can't say for how long._'

Remus gave a strained smile. 'I'm not asking for more, Moony. Thank you.'

Moony just snarled in return. Not that Lupin expected any less. But as Remus set out, Sword of Kusanagi in hand, he didn't hear Moony's last words.

'_Time to fight that venom before Remus gets himself killed. Silver-Tooth, you better be worth this trouble._'

00000

Naruto couldn't help but cringe as Kakashi snapped the Oto-nin's neck. Yes, he knew that killing was what shinobi was trained for in the Academy… what he himself was trained for. However, seeing one kill another man like that, like if snapping a man's neck was one's bread-and-butter, was something different entirely.

It didn't become any better that it was his teacher that killed like it was second-nature to him. Yes, Naruto knew Kakashi was one of the village's best and he had witnessed his fights against members of Akatsuki. Still, he was used to the laid-back, lazy, smut reading and ever late Kakashi Hatake, not the calculating killer Kakashi Hatake.

Even Naruto could see Kakashi didn't rush in for the kill, nor did he waste any movement. No, he waited till the time was right to capture a foe and then he just ended the life of the men.

This was the third man within ten minutes Kakashi had killed. They had tried getting information how to get out from the first, but he had just laughed at them. Realizing they had been wasting time, Kakashi had sliced the ninja's throat with his own kunai.

But what really depressed him was that they, so far, hadn't found any exit from this place. Clearly, this level was largest of all them all. And the red lamps and alarm blaring didn't help on their stress either. And yet, Kakashi kept his cool. And Naruto didn't have any doubt why that was.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hm? What is it Naruto?"

Hesitating, seeing how Kakashi was keeping an eye and ear out for approaching enemies as walked, Naruto licked his dry lips, hoping Kakashi would understand.

"I once swore I wouldn't rely on my teammates to ever bail me out of trouble again. And… well, as I have been pretty much relying on you during this mess… I wanted to ask you… if… if you would train me. I… I want to become like you… calm no matter the situation. I… I want to train for ANBU."

That last line made Kakashi freeze in his tracks. And he was sure that if he had been drinking or eating anything, he would either have choked on it or spit it right out. His ears must be deceiving him, for he could have sworn he heard Naruto say he wanted to join ANBU. Taking a few calming breaths, Kakashi turned around to face his student, ignoring the cold shiver that had just run down his naked torso.

"Naruto… would you please repeat that? What was the last thing you said?"

Naruto met his teacher's one-eyed gaze as steadily as he could. How Naruto really wished Kakashi was wearing his mask right now. The tall man's face betrayed no emotion, but his gaze was ten times more intense now that the mask wasn't obscuring the rest of his face. Gulping slightly and doing his best to ignore the small pearls of sweat running down his face and Kakashi's shirt sticking to his body.

"I… I said I want to join ANBU."

Internally swearing, Kakashi asked the first that came to mind. "Why?"

Naruto was becoming really nervous. He was sure Kakashi would be proud of him wanting to join ANBU. " Well they are the elite of the elite. Trained to overcome everything, to stay calm no matter what. And since I know you are an ex-ANBU… I would like someone who has been there to train me… help me prepare for joining ANBU. And who could be better than the one who was once in charge of the entire ANBU?"

Kakashi gave his blond student a long look, thoughts running hundred miles per hour. He had never shared with his students he had been ANBU Commander, nor ANBU for that matter. Granted the tattoo on his left arm was a giveaway for being an ANBU, or at least been at some point, Kakashi could count the people who knew of him being Commander on two hands: The Third Hokage, the three Village Elders, Tenzou, Itachi, Shikaku Nara, Jiraiya and Tsunade.

The first four for obvious reasons. Shikaku knew since he was Jounin Commander. Itachi and Tenzou knew because it had been Kakashi who had nominated them for promotion to ANBU captains. And Jiraiya and Tsunade just knew. Kakashi had never discovered how the two Sannin found out, they just did. The two of them had an uncanny knack for discovering things you wanted to keep secret. A trait they shared with both Sakumo and Orochimaru. In his childhood, he found it both interesting and annoying beyond belief that no matter what he did to keep something secret for the four of them, they always discovered what he had done or was up to. An ability that hadn't left them over the decades.

Already having inkling to the answer, Kakashi quickly reigned in his thoughts from going too far down memory lane. "Naruto… who told you I was once the ANBU Commander? And please be honest."

Getting the feeling he was venturing into dangerous territory, Naruto decided on telling the truth. Kakashi might not have given a direct order, but his eye and voice clearly said no-nonsense.

"Pervy-Sage. It was during our training trip, shortly after making progress with the Giant Ball Rasengan. I was telling him how great I was and that I soon would be an elite-ninja like none before me. I guess Pervy-Sage got fed up with me. He said that if I really wanted to be an elite ninja, I should join the ANBU and get a reputation matching the one of Konoha's ANBU Commander Wolf, who happened to be, and I quote, _"Brat of your silver-haired sensei"_. I think the last part slipped because he had had a little too much saké. And perhaps he was only joking when he suggested I should join." Naruto paused a bit when he saw how Kakashi grinding his teeth and narrowing his eye. "Kakashi-sensei? You are not mad at me, are you? Or at the Pervy-Sage?"

No, Kakashi wasn't mad. He was livid. ANBU was no joking matter, drunk or not. ANBU changed a man, regardless of who he was. Some lasted a couple of missions, others lasted several years. But sooner or later, you would break. Kakashi had come to close to breaking a few times during those twelve years. It was only due to his stubbornness, pride and, no matter how much he wanted to deny it, the occasional break with genin-teams, he had lasted those twelve years. And from the sounds of it, Jiraiya hadn't told Naruto what being ANBU entailed. Granted the ways of the ANBU probably had changed since Kakashi was enrolled, but as an ANBU, your morals and ethics were challenged. Or rather: You had to give up on those.

Taking a deep breath and schooling his face into a mask of neutrality, Kakashi answered. "No, I'm not mad, just surprised that's all. Let's talk more about this when we get back home, alright Naruto?"

Naruto gave a weak smile. "Got it sensei."

Kakashi sighed. He was going to throttle Jiraiya, or at least he would try. But he would have to think about that later. Why was his right hand growing hotter?

"Oi, Kakashi-sensei, watch were your hand is going!"

Kakashi looked and let out a small curse as his hand moved through the fire of the torch on his right. Except the pain one would connect with burning your hand never came. Instead a deep rumble mixed with the siren and a six feet wide space of the wall slid open as the torch moved upwards. The two Leaf-nins gave each other a questioning look before Kakashi gave a curt nod. He would enter first and, after making sure all was clear, Naruto was to follow him.

The first thing Kakashi thought of when he entered the room was that he had stepped several years into the past. There was no doubt this was Orochimaru main-laboratory here, green lamps lining the walls while a few light bulbs hung from the ceiling, tanks and shelves everywhere. All in all, it was like the last time he led a raid on Orochimaru's hideout. However, Naruto's voice shattered the illusion of this being a scene he had entered years ago.

"Kakashi-sensei? Do you need any help?"

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts a bit, Kakashi poked his head out, facing the anxious looking Naruto. "Naruto, hide yourself until I call, okay? I may have found an exit, but I need to check it out for booby-traps."

Naruto's face scrunched up in indignation. "But sensei, I can help!"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at this before smiling grimly. "No you can't. You couldn't see through my traps when you first took the bell-test, despite them being so simple. This time around, it's Orochimaru who has set them. And believe me, his traps will be more harmful than hanging you upside-down by your ankles. So trust me when I say you can't help right now."

Naruto looked like he wanted to discuss it further, but the reddening of his cheeks told Kakashi he still remembered the first test. And he all too well remembered his last dealings with Orochimaru. So, very reluctantly, the teenager agreed and silently slid into an empty cell. Nodding, Kakashi went back into the laboratory.

But much to the surprise of Kakashi, there weren't too many traps. A few exploding tags clearly designed to maim instead of killing and some bombs with some sort of acid and gas. They were all rigged in a way that if one was triggered, all of them would go off.

'And that would explain why there aren't more traps. A serpent will shed its skin as it grows. My guess is that if these traps are activated, they will be replaced by bigger and more deadly ones. Now for the tricky part: How to disable them?'

Kakashi spent around one and a half minute trying figuring out how to Orochimaru had set his trap. He was so focused on his task he didn't notice the door close before it was too late. Spinning on his heel, Kakashi quickly surveyed the room. No one was there. He ventured a quick glance with the Sharingan, but he closed it just as soon due to the drain he felt. Still, he was alone. But seeing how Orochimaru had used strange powers like the ones Remus did, and considering this was Orochimaru he was dealing with, Kakashi was not about to let himself be fooled that easily.

Carefully taking one of the jars on the shelves, Kakashi tossed it towards where he knew the secret door was, using the light reflected in the jar by the light bulbs to illuminate the room. The jar smashed against the wall, the splinters not hitting anything. If they had had hit flesh, Kakashi would have heard it.

Assured that he was still alone, and hoping Naruto would stay put, Kakashi went to dismantle the traps. The mechanism between them was fine line of string. Even the smallest disturbance, and traps would go off. Grumbling under his breath, Kakashi let the traps be and started investigating the lab and the tanks.

Most of the tanks were empty, but eleven were filled, ten of them making Kakashi's stomach churn. Those ten tanks was filled with clear liquid, displaying corpses in different stages of decay, starting from relatively newly killed to the stage when only a thin layer of flesh and muscle remained.

The last one was filled with red-black liquid and hang in chains from the ceiling while the ones with the bodies in them stood on the floor. On the tank with the black liquid, something was written in kanji.

"Lycanthropy? Could this be…?"

Kakashi didn't know what the word lycanthropy meant, but he had a very good guess. He had the feeling this might be the virus in his blood. Or at least the altered version of it. The tank wasn't that big. Kakashi wouldn't have been able to fit in it when he became a jounin. Kakashi searched for an empty jar to bring some of the red-black liquid back to the village for analysis, but as it soon turned out, the only empty jar was the one he had destroyed. Growling in annoyance, Kakashi swept the room, looking for something to carry that stuff in. He didn't find anything for that purpose, but he spotted something else.

On a desk lay two things: A scroll and heavy tome. Curiosity getting the better of him, Kakashi walked closer, being mindful of the traps. Peering down at the scroll first, his eye widened in surprise.

"Edo Tensei? No, not Edo Tensei. This is something else."

Kakashi frowned as his eye scanned the scroll. It told him everything he already knew about Edo Tensei, but the rest of the scroll vanished between a couple of the pages in the book. The tome was open, and Kakashi gave the two pages a quick glance.

The page on the left bore the number of 253 while the right one said 254. 'Weird.'

Giving the left page another quick look, Kakashi let out a huff of frustration. If there was something Kakashi hated, it was when an answer to a riddle or puzzle was right in front of him without being able to understand it.

It was obvious to Kakashi that the left page held the answer to the mystery in front of him, but what good was that when the answer was written in some gibberish language? The right page wasn't much better.

Or was it? Upon looking closer, Kakashi could make out that one of the persons on the page was a wizard, if the waving of that stick was anything to go by. The other person started out lying on the ground, but as Kakashi swept over the picture, that person as the wizard moved his stick.

'Since when did Orochimaru become so interested in healing? Unless…'

Kakashi shifted his gaze to the tanks with corpses and back again. "Unless this isn't about healing. If I'm not mistaken, this is about reanimating the dead, or at least their bodies. But why is Orochimaru interested in something like that? He already has Edo Tensei… so why…"

A horrible feeling was settling in Kakashi's gut, but just as he was about to turn the page in the tome and thus see the rest of the scroll, he heard a soft rumble behind him. Someone was entering the lab and Kakashi had a really good guess whom.

Masking his chakra, forgetting the suppression collar around his neck, Kakashi slid into the shadows cast by the shelves. And just as he had predicted, Orochimaru stormed into the room, looking more furious than Kakashi had seen him in quite some time. The Sannin ran to the desk Kakashi had been standing over seconds before, mumbling something about how he couldn't believe he had been forced to perform Oral Rebirth after being skewered with his own sword. Kakashi couldn't help but smirk a bit.

'Impressive. I wonder if Jiraiya did that for the Third Hokage? That would also explain why Orochimaru is in such a foul mood and panting and sweating a bit.'

Kakashi, however, didn't have time pondering what had happened to Orochimaru for long. The Sannin was packing his notes and stuff together, giving Kakashi the impression that even the snake wanted to get out.

This was an opportunity of a lifetime, and Kakashi knew it. All it would take was one right hit with his Raikiri, and a serious threat to Konoha would be out of the picture. He remembered Orochimaru saying that if he died, Bellatrix would get control of those creatures, but she was the lesser of two evils. Besides, chances were that she was already dead since she wasn't with the Sannin.

Those thoughts and hopes firmly in mind, Kakashi attacked. But even in his apparently weakened state, Orochimaru was not that easy to overpower with taijutsu. As a matter of fact, in seemed Orochimaru would win. He probably would have, if Kakashi didn't have a little ace up his sleeve.

"Chidori Nagashi!"

Kakashi instantly felt the drain in his chakra and figured about half of his restored chakra had been drained then and there. Probably due to the collar around his neck. And he had to admit, it had been more than a gamble. But it worked. Orochimaru was sprawled against the wall, giving Kakashi a murderous glare. Sighing, Kakashi stood and walked closer.

It was obvious to Kakashi his trick hadn't been quite as effective he had hoped, seeing how Orochimaru was already getting too his feet as well. Again, most likely because he lacked the chakra. Not about to get into a situation like the one before, Kakashi reacted. Crossing the distance between them in a few quick strides, Kakashi forced a kunai, nicked from one the Oto-nin he had killed through the Sannin's left hand and into the wall. But before he could repeat the action with the right hand, Kakashi felt something small pierce his skin. Ignoring it, he hammered Orochimaru in the face with his right fist, before pinning the Sannin's right hand to the wall with another kunai.

"Now… let's talk."

Orochimaru, despite having a couple of knives piercing his hands, chuckled and met Kakashi's hard gaze. "To think that you could pull Sasuke-kun's trick like that, even with the chakra suppression collar on."

Kakashi stared long and hard as the Sannin, then let out a disdainful snort. "I would like to think I know my body and the basics of my jutsu better than anyone. I listened to Yamato's report on his encounter with Sasuke at your last hideout and his descriptions of what Sasuke did and what this new form of Chidori looked like. From there, it was only a matter of calculating the flow and amount of chakra. You would be surprised how much Icha-Icha helps you think while one of your students trains to master his element."

Realizing he was playing Orochimaru's game and wasting time, Kakashi took a firm grip around his adversary's throat. "No more games. Why do you have a book concerning reanimating? And in a strange language no less."

Orochimaru just smiled. "Kakashi-kun, you disappoint me. Why are you asking a question like that? You know full well I won't answer it, and you aren't strong enough to force it out of me. Besides, it isn't what you really want to know, is it?"

Feeling his feet getting wet, Kakashi cursed. Time was running. "How do we get out?"

Orochimaru smirked. "Now that is more like it. Since you are going to die either way, I guess it can't hurt to tell you. When you exit this laboratory, you just have to wave your hand through the flames of the torch on your right. Behind it is a staircase. It will take you to the floor above this one." Another chuckle. "Anything else you would like to know? If yes, I suggest you hurry."

Growling, Kakashi tightened his grip around the Sannin's throat. "Where are you keeping Remus? And where is the antidote to this werewolf condition?"

Orochimaru's lips twisted into a cruel smile. "That is the beauty of it, Kakashi-kun. There is no antidote or cure. And what I have in this laboratory is only the altered version. It's, so to speak, impure, and thus it can't be used to cure the source… you." A dark shadow passed over the Snake Master's face. "As for Remus… probably looking for you. But like you, he will perish here."

Kakashi narrowed his eye. "We will see about that. He survived that monster you let loose that night. Although I have to admit its bite was as bad as its bark. Its fang even went through your little collar here, damaging it, and thus decreasing its suppression powers. And he is not going to die here. And neither will Naruto nor I. But you are. This is the end for you."

Orochimaru stared long and hard at the Copy-Ninja. Then he burst out laughing. A gleeful laugh that made the small hair on Kakashi's neck stand on end. "What's so funny?"

Orochimaru continued cackling for thirty seconds. It was only when Kakashi gave a little squeeze the Snake Lord seemed to snap out of it. Lips pulling into a twisted smile, he answered Kakashi's question.

"My dear boy, have you not figured it out yet? Remus Lupin, the man you consider your friend and have kept an eye on for hours… was, and still is, the werewolf that attacked you and your precious student that night. He was the beast that bit you."

Silence. Then… "You are lying."

Orochimaru gave a small, patient chuckle. "Am I? Look inside yourself, Kakashi-kun, brain and heart alike. What do they tell you?"

Kakashi hated the fact that Orochimaru used the same tone he would back in the day when Kakashi considered him a mentor. What he hated even more was that he, like then, followed the Sannin's instructions as he thought back on peculiar things that had occurred when he was in the company of Remus Lupin.

Back in the changing room: an amber eye with inhuman malice. When he first tested out Lupin's chakra affinity: A powerful and horrible energy flaring up, a fireball changing form into that of a wolf out for blood, and emotions going from hate and fury to shock and regret. It had been almost like he had two personalities or had some evil in him that he couldn't control. The fight in the woods prior to their abduction, Kakashi thought Remus had gotten some wolf-like characteristics. And when he was first introduced to Bellatrix, Kakashi would swear he saw a wolf lurking behind Remus' eyes.

Lastly, there was the night Naruto and he encountered the werewolf. Kakashi remembered how it had looked at them with intelligence far beyond that of your normal wolf.

It was with a sinking feeling Kakashi came to the conclusion that Orochimaru wasn't lying. Remus had indeed been the creature that came close to killing him that night. The monster that had bit him and thus made Kakashi another werewolf. But that only left Kakashi with one question: Why had Remus not said anything? Which led to another question: Didn't he trust them?

Kakashi couldn't help but feeling slightly betrayed. Considering everything they had done for Remus, being honest with them was the least he could do. The thought had barely entered his mind before a little nagging voice started reminding him that they, they being Tsunade and Kakashi himself and others, didn't trust Lupin to begin with, so why should he trust them?

Shaking his head to clear his head, Kakashi refocused on Orochimaru. "In any case, this is the end of the line for you. I will deal with Remus once Naruto and I get out of here."

Orochimaru smirked. "Kakashi-kun, don't be foolish. Your last trick cost you a lot of chakra. Also, have you forgotten? If you indeed succeed in killing me, the control of the werewolves goes to Bellatrix. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

Kakashi considered Orochimaru words, all the while fighting to bring his chakra to his right hand for his signature jutsu. "Better her than you. And wipe that stupid smirk of your face. Legendary Sannin or not, you are not in any situation to grin like that."

Orochimaru's smirk only grew. "Oh, but I am. You see, the only way to remove that collar is me forcing my chakra into it. Something I cannot do if, by any luck on your part, you should succeed in killing me."

Kakashi fell silent for almost one minute, contemplating this. Keeping Orochimaru subdued and then drag his body back to the surface and then the village was out of the question. For starters, they didn't have any drugs with them, not to mention it would take an inhuman amount of sedatives to keep the Sannin down. And if they should fail at keeping him sedated, Orochimaru would wake with most of his powers replenished. And that would not end well for them. But if Orochimaru was telling the truth, which Kakashi assumed he was, about the chakra collars, it would mean serious problems for Kakashi and Naruto. But then Kakashi remembered something.

"You seem to forget who our Hokage is, Orochimaru. And one of the clans in Konoha. I doubt anyone would know more about chakra than Konoha's Hyuuga clan."

Orochimaru frowned for a little while. But the smirk returned. "Ah yes. But you see Kakashi-kun, I have taken my precautions. Actually, you should thank me. Because of what I have done, the Akatsuki are in for a bad surprise should they ever get a hold of the boy. Let's just say it is something permanent and incurable. And… you have gotten a simple form of it too."

Kakashi felt his eye widen at Orochimaru's words, remembering the small sting he had felt before he had pinned Orochimaru to the wall. Glancing down, Kakashi saw what he dreaded: An empty syringe. It wasn't big, but considering who he held by the throat, it was more than enough to make Kakashi bells go off. Tightening his grip to the point he made even Orochimaru look a bit uneasy, the Copy-Ninja spoke in a soft, yet dangerous voice.

"What the hell have you done to me? And to Naruto?"

Perhaps it was just something Kakashi imagined, but he thought he saw a flicker of fear in the Sannin's eyes as they locked. But whatever it was, it quickly vanished again, as Orochimaru spoke in a somewhat strained voice.

"You will find out if you return to Konoha." A gleeful smirk crept over the Snake Lord's face. "Though your chances for doing such a thing is slim to none. In either case, the boy's foolish dream of becoming Hokage is over."

Rage boiled in Kakashi's veins. Far too often, his dreams had been ripped from him, starting when he was two, when his mother died. His dream back then had been to become a strong shinobi and make his parents proud. The next time his dream had been shattered was when he was eight and his father died; his dream to make his father proud. Then his dream had been shattered yet again when Obito died. All of his hopes for making amends and getting a close friendship with his male teammate, gone. Approximately one year later, when the Kyuubi attacked, it was his dream for Rin and him being an extension of the Namikaze family that went down the drain. Lastly, when Rin, teammate turned lover, was killed, his dream for having a family of his own was buried when the last shovel of earth was put on top of Rin's coffin.

So what was his dream? If he had to be honest, Kakashi didn't know. He would like to think it was being able to keep his promise to Minato; the promise that he would protect Naruto from everything and everyone that would harm the boy that, if the circumstances had permitted it, most likely would have like a little brother to him. But he wasn't sure. What he was sure of, however, was the pain of losing ones' dreams. It was a pain beyond human understanding.

And Kakashi knew one thing: If it was going to be a cold day in Hell the day he would give his blessings for Naruto entering ANBU, Hell would freeze for hundreds of years the day Kakashi would let one of his students experience such pain.

His fury fuelling his desire to kill the man, no monster, in front of him, Kakashi channelled his chakra to his right hand. Orochimaru's eyes went wide when Kakashi's Raikiri roared to life.

"Impossible!"

"Perhaps. But it's happening none the less. Just like Naruto and I will survive. This is the end for you, Orochimaru!"

Time seemed to still as Kakashi released his hold on the Sannin's throat with his left hand while he thrust his right arm forward. And both men, friends turned enemies, remembered their past closeness and more joyful memories.

A two-year-old silver-haired boy clung to Orochimaru as his mother was buried. The Snake Sannin laughing alongside Tsunade as an enraged Jiraiya was being restrained by Hiruzen while a three-year-old Kakashi proudly proclaimed he had calculated that Jiraiya's hair was the perfect length for a blanket for his nanny-wolf and her cubs. Poor Sakumo hadn't known whether he should praise or punish Kakashi.

The Sannin and Sakumo sitting in Jounin Lounge when a four-year-old Kakashi walks up to Tsunade, holding a red lacy bra and asking what that was doing in his father's bedroom.

A five-year-old Kakashi cheering when he summoned a snake, Orochimaru sacrificing his blood, after the Snake Master had taught him the Summoning Jutsu. Afterwards, Kakashi had fallen asleep on top of a larger snake's head as the Sannin gave him a ride through the village, having spent too much chakra.

It was those memories that passed through the mind of both men. The fraction of a second later, and the possible future that could have been, was finally buried as Kakashi's Raikiri cut through Orochimaru's throat and lower jaw, destroying everything in its path. Blood sprayed as Kakashi beheaded the Sannin, Orochimaru's head flying through the air before hitting the floor with a dull splash.

Kakashi fell to his knees, the toll on his body from this latest stunt instantly making itself known. Kakashi panted, before looking up on the headless form of his slain foe. He wasn't too worried the head would reattach itself. The heat from the Raikiri had closed up the wound left in its wake.

Sighing, Kakashi carefully got to his feet, and on very unsteady feet, put Naruto's necklace in his pocket and walked to Orochimaru's head. Empty reptile eyes were staring up at him, smirk permanently gone from the face Orochimaru, the lower part of his jaw destroyed.

Panting from the drain of his chakra, Kakashi looked around for something to put Orochimaru's head in. He found a body bag. Knowing he was running short on time, Kakashi used a kunai to slice off a bit of the body bag, wrapping the piece tightly around the book and scroll before placing them in the body bag. Then, with just a bit of disgust, he picked up Orochimaru's head from the water on the floor and put that into the body bag as well.

Giving the tank with the red-black liquid a regretful look, but knowing full well that it would only slow him down, Kakashi tore off his pant's right leg, from knee and down, before soaking freshly ripped part of cloth in the water. Then he used as a makeshift robe to close the body bag. Another mournful glance at the tank with the label 'lycanthropy', and Kakashi was out the door.

"Naruto!"

He had barely called out before the boy in question came out of the cell, a relieved sigh escaping his lips. But Kakashi could still see the traces of anxiety on his student's face.

"Naruto, are you alright?"

The blond gave a weak grin and a nod. "Yeah, I'm now. I was afraid you were done for when the wall closed. And…" he spotted the body bag slung over Kakashi's broad shoulders, curiosity replacing the relief. "Neh, Kakashi-sensei? What do you have in the bag?"

Not about to tell what truly was in the bag, Kakashi let out a small sigh and gave Naruto a small smile. "Some helpful souvenirs. Now, how about we find Remus-san and get the hell out of this place?"

Naruto nodded eagerly, and Kakashi, swaying a bit, mostly due to the chakra exhaustion slowly kicking in and a bit due to the weights, led the way to where Orochimaru had said the staircase was hidden. And sure enough, it was revealed after Kakashi moved his hand through the blazes of the torch.

It was to great relief of both Naruto and Kakashi as they started ascending the stairs. And despite the unnerving sound of water running in great masses in the walls, they kept going, knowing they were, finally on their way out of this hellhole. And in Kakashi's case, the thought that he was going to get some answers from Remus, whether the latter wanted to or not.

End chapter 17.

Dang, it took like forever writing this chapter. And it also became the longest. I just couldn't find a place where it fit dividing it. Damn my shoulders hurt.

To answer a few questions that might arise:

Yeah, I know that in the manga, the Sword of Kusanagi was sealed alongside Orochimaru. But to me, Orochimaru without that sword is like Kakashi without Icha-Icha or Kisame without Samehada: It simply doesn't work.

If you wonder how Remus was able to go on after losing an eye: Well, Kakashi could go on too. And as said in the chapter, werewolves recover and overcome pain faster, even in human form.

In the original storyline, I wanted to give Remus a Byakugan so that he and Kakashi could be a kickass doujutsu team. But then Kishi started giving out doujutsu left and right, and that did not sit well with me, so there was no chance I was going to follow that way. Add to that, but giving Remus a Byakugan would give me a lot of trouble. I would have to explain why Orochimaru had Hyuuga eyes on storage, not to mention explaining the transplant. Any medic-nin would recognize the eye of a Hyuuga and refuse to perform the surgery. So I decided to give him the Sword of Kusanagi instead.

In any case, hope the chapter was worth waiting for and you enjoyed it.

Next time (as of now at least): Of Escape, Deception and Timing.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Of Escape, Deception and Timing

Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief the moment they stopped their ascension of the stairs. He should have known better than to simply follow a way suggested by Orochimaru. 'Spears coming up of the floor and down from the ceiling, fire and water from the walls… geez. Why can't things just be easy, just for once? I'm really starting to dislike whoever designed this place.'

One look at his student told him Naruto was of the same opinion. Actually, Naruto looked like he wanted nothing else than to strangle the one who had created and build this godforsaken underground fortress.

But Kakashi knew things would be more difficult from now on. Orochimaru might be dead, but Kisame was still out there. Not to mention a small army of those pseudo-werewolves and that crazy Bellatrix. Running into any of them was not on Kakashi's nice-list. But if Kakashi's luck was anything like its usual self… well, it was better not to think about that.

Another thing that weighed heavy on his mind was Remus. He had considered him an ally, but after Orochimaru told him he had been the werewolf who had bit him, the image had been crushed rather effectively. He had not told them about him being a werewolf, despite them trusting him enough to teach him about chakra and letting him sleep in the home of a top ninja. Once again that little nagging voice told him that they didn't trust him either, but he overpowered it with the argument they had shown the first sign of trust. Not even the fight in the woods could make up for withholding information like that. Remus Lupin was now an enemy. And Kakashi would rather escape with Naruto and miss the information Remus could give them than them ending up dead looking for a foe.

Then add the uneven pull by the body bag and his severely depleted chakra and you have Kakashi's recipe for a very bad day.

Kakashi shook his head. 'Focus Kakashi. You need to find a way out of here."

"Kakashi-sensei? How are we going to find Remus-san?"

Kakashi mentally cursed. Trust Naruto to ask a question that was better left unanswered. Glancing around, he saw that there were no doors, suggesting that they most likely were in a part of the castle Orochimaru wanted to keep hidden, even from his own men. At first, Kakashi didn't answer his student. Instead he took to the right and set into a run. Soon they reached a cross of corridors.

"I suspect Remus-san is held in one of the cells above us. But Naruto… you do realize that there is the possibility that he might be dead, right?"

Naruto looked down. "I guess. But I don't want him to die. I kinda liked him."

Kakashi gave his student a sad glance. He wasn't about to tell the blond teenager what the Snake Sannin had told him. For starters he had a pretty good guess at Naruto's reaction: He would start shouting about how they shouldn't believe Orochimaru and that they had to find Remus. It was a discussion he didn't have the energy for, let alone the time. Shifting his gaze down each corridor a few times, he went down the one on his left.

"This way."

Naruto nodded, but it wasn't long before his face scrunched into a mask of confusion. "Did you find the way out?"

Kakashi smiled a bit. "Nope."

Naruto gave his teacher a weird look before a grin spread over his face. "Did you remember something?"

"Nope."

This caused Naruto to frown deeply. "Then why are we going this way?" When Kakashi didn't answer, his face lost a lot of its colour. "We are lost, aren't we?"

Kakashi chuckled darkly. "Not exactly. I have no idea where we are going, but it's the right way."

Naruto gaped at Kakashi, looking quite like a fish out of water. Then… "That doesn't make any sense! How can you know we are going the right way when you don't know where we are going?"

Kakashi stopped too and eye-smiled at his student who was still looking at him like he was insane. The gesture caused Naruto to blush a bit, but whether it was from his outburst or from seeing Kakashi smiling without his mask obscuring his face, Kakashi didn't know.

"Because I have no idea whether I'm going east, west, north or south. But I know we are going the right way if we want to escape."

Naruto looked like he wanted to make a face-palm at Kakashi's words. In his ears, Kakashi was making no sense whatsoever. In his world, you were lost if you had no idea which direction you were going. So… "Kakashi-sensei… how the hell do you know we are going the right way if you don't know which direction we are going and you have no idea where we are?"

Kakashi just continued smiling, annoying his student. Finally he gave a verbal answer. "Because the air smelled cleaner and felt cooler. And there was no noise. Now… I only need to figure out how to open this door."

Naruto stared at his smiling sensei. And stared. And stared. "EH? KAKASHI-SENSEI, YOU ARE RAMBLING! The air smelled cleaner and felt cooler? And there was no noise? AND THERE IS NO DOOR!"

Kakashi sighed. Of course Naruto wouldn't understand. Then again, he hoped he never would. "Naruto… I hope you never will have this sort of skills."

Naruto fell silent as he looked at his sensei face. It no longer held any trace of a smile. "Why? Don't you want me to become strong?"

Kakashi met the teenager's gaze. "Strong, yes. But I hope you never obtain this sort of skill, for it will mean you have been taken prisoner many times." He took a deep breath. "Over the years, I have honed my sense of smell to the point that I can distinguish natural air from one provided by ventilation, even if it is old. And I have trained myself to feel differences in temperature. You will find that the way towards the exit is always slightly chillier than the rest of the complex. You probably can't tell at the moment, but I'm burning up with fever. But for once, it isn't a bad thing. Thanks to that, I could pick up the coldest air drift better. As for the sound: The noise produced by ventilators was less pronounced in this corridor. Although your shouting almost ruined that."

Naruto flushed crimson, despite Kakashi wasn't scolding him. "Sorry. But where is the door then?"

Kakashi smirked a bit and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Right behind me. Problem is that there is no doorknob or any other form for handle. I can only deduce it is opened by a password."

Naruto frowned and stepped closer. Sure enough, he could feel a weak flow of air from the wall. And it came in a too linear pattern to be a coincidence. That Kakashi could feel it before coming here… it was unbelievable. But… "What is the password then?"

Kakashi chuckled nervously, although it held no humour. "Good question. I don't know."

Naruto opened his mouth to utter what he thought about that statement, but Kakashi covered the teenager's mouth with a hand, a slight frown creasing his brow. "Quiet. Listen."

The blonde gave his teacher a bewildered look, but pressed his ear to the wall. And then he heard it. "Footsteps… growling… a body flying through the air."

As Naruto uttered the last words, Kakashi grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and hurled him away, having heard the sound of a fist connecting with flesh and a body leaving the ground before Naruto. "Time to move."

It wasn't too soon either. They barely got away before the 'wall' got smashed to pieces as a pseudo-werewolf not too gracefully burst through, rolling till it hit the other wall, revealing a six feet wide opening. The pseudo-werewolf was soon on its feet, but much to the surprise of the two Leaf-ninja, it didn't even spare them a glance. Instead it was focused entirely on whoever was in the passageway. Kakashi noticed that Naruto looked a bit ill when the sound of a sword going through a man's flesh and bone reached their ears. And even Kakashi couldn't help but cringe when he heard what only could be the man's gurgling and coughing, a dying man's last breath. A sound Kakashi was all too familiar with.

A body hitting the ground and Kakashi motioned for Naruto to prepare to run the moment the pseudo-werewolf attacked whoever was approaching. The first blow clearly connected as Kakashi heard the grunt of pain. But even the Copy-Ninja couldn't help but be a bit surprised when the monster's right arm stopped its movement at whoever it was attacking, the arm's position suggesting it was being held by the wrist with apparent ease.

The Copy-Ninja could name five ninja or so with enough brute force to do so. And he really doubted Tsunade, Sakura or Gai was the one keeping the creature in check. Then there was Jiraiya in his Sage-Mode… but the Sannin wouldn't allow a beast like that to scratch him if he was in Sage-Mode. And strong as the Toad Master was, Kakashi heavily doubted he had the raw muscle power to hold the beast. That left one: Kisame Hoshigaki, the Monster of the Hidden Mist. He was notorious for many things: His brutality, love for battle, water jutsu, swordsman skills... and his inhuman strength.

"Naruto… run. It's Kisame in that passageway. I will hold him as long as I can but… what?"

It happened so fast. An arm flew out of the dark passageway, almost as fast a serpent striking, lodging itself on the pseudo-werewolf's throat in a vice-like grip. But it wasn't blue. And Kakashi of the Sharingan found that he couldn't blame his blond student for dropping his jaw at what happened next. The hand tightened its grip to the point that the pseudo-werewolf's breath came out as wheezes. The two Konoha-nins watched in astonishment as the arm pulled back, dragging the creature halfway into the passageway, before it had its windpipe crushed and thrown against the opposite wall with such force that it put a big dent in the wall.

"What in the name of…"

Kakashi and Naruto both trailed off as they took in the appearance of the newcomer. He was a member of Akatsuki, although his cloak seemed to be several sizes too big. But unlike what one would expect from an Akatsuki, the cloak was in tatters, dried blood around each tear. The newcomer's hands were covered in blood, so was his face.

Kakashi winced a little as he looked closer at the Akatsuki member's face and he raised his hand to his own scar. A long and newly inflicted wound ran from the near the middle of his left cheek, over his eye and presumably ended near his hairline. It was longer and ran more slanting than Kakashi's, but the Copy-Nin had doubt that the wound had damaged the Akatsuki member's eye. But considering he was an enemy, Kakashi didn't feel sorry for him, nor worry.

What did worry him on the other hand was the sword strapped to the Akatsuki members back. It was clear the sheath had been stolen, since the sword was pretty much only staying on the man's back by the guard and the locking mechanism provided by the first part of sheath, seeing how the at least two thirds was missing.

'That is Orochimaru's sword, the Sword of Kusanagi; the Sword that bastard used against the Third. So Orochimaru has had a little run-in with one of his former colleagues. But… that scent… no… it can't be.'

He could smell the blood of Orochimaru on the blade. But he could also catch another scent. A scent that got his temper rising, slowly, but steadily.

But there was no mistaking it. The Akatsuki member slowly opened his right eye, revealing his amber iris, looking around for any danger as he tried getting his breathing under control. The eye narrowed as he laid eye on the two Leaf ninja, making them tense up. Therefore, they were ready when he drew the sword and charged towards them. But much to their surprise, he jumped to the side before he reached them and took off from the wall. The next thing Kakashi and Naruto knew was that a pseudo-werewolf was pinned to the floor several feet right behind them, the sword through its skull and the Akatsuki member with his back to them.

Seemingly oblivious to their stares, the Akatsuki member stood up and placed the sword back in the remains of the sheath. It was only when he approached that his tired voice only confirmed what Kakashi already suspected.

"Are you alright… Naruto… Kakashi?"

The blond Jinchuuriki's eyes widened. "You! We trusted you! We trusted you, you traitor!"

One second later, Naruto charged, despite Kakashi trying to stop him. Cursing, he was about to follow suit. But instead of landing a devastating blow to the teen's head, Remus simply caught the blond around the wrist and in the next moment, Kakashi was steadying a shaken Naruto, the boy being more or less thrown back to him, body bag on the floor. Still glaring, Naruto regained his balance.

"Akatsuki scum. So it was all just a trick. But you clearly don't want to fight us alone. Waiting for back-up, are you?"

If the situation wasn't so dire, Kakashi would have been proud of the analytical skill his student had just displayed. But there was something about their, assumed, enemy's posture that put him off. His eye was focused solely on them, several emotions trying to reach them. Anger, bloodlust, desperation, hurt and… sorrow?

Not the mix Kakashi had come to associate with the members of Akatsuki. He had only met a few, but all of them held bloodlust and insanity.

Another thing was his nose and ears. They were twitching in a way that was so like the way of a wolf locating an intruder on its territory or a prey. The resemblance to the beast within Remus was uncanny to say the least.

Thirdly, he wasn't reaching for the sword on his back. As a matter of fact, he didn't even seem like he wanted to fight, though he didn't look like he would just take a punch either, as he had proved by flinging Naruto backwards.

Of course, Lupin could be waiting for Kisame to make a move, but Kakashi couldn't pick up the scent of the behemoth. Not that that did anything to calm Kakashi. Lastly, there was the cloak. It was too big for Remus' frame. Of all the Akatsuki members Kakashi had had the misfortune of encountering, none of them had been wearing clothes that was too big.

In other words, Kakashi was no longer sure Remus was a member of Akatsuki. One would think that would put the famous Kakashi of the Sharingan at ease, but it just put him even more on edge and made him more wary of the man in front of him. Why? Because Kakashi simply no longer knew where he had Remus. He knew how to handle a friend. He knew how to handle an enemy. But how do you handle something, or someone, when you don't know of his allegiance?

Remus Lupin was becoming a puzzle of unheard dimensions. And every time Kakashi thought he had solved said puzzle, a new piece was added, destroying the picture. Likewise, he always seemed to missing a piece, but the piece added was never the right one to solve it. It was maddening.

In short, Kakashi hated not knowing everything about Remus.

Keeping a hand on his young student's shoulder, the Copy-Ninja addressed the man looking at them. "What are your goals, Remus-san? We took you in, protected you. You repay us by keeping secrets, hiding possible ulterior motives. And now you show up, wearing enemy colours. What is you goal?"

Remus couldn't help but give a soft snort at the hypocrisy in Kakashi's words. But he knew how things looked right now. And he couldn't blame them for questioning his loyalties, considering he was indeed wearing an enemy's uniform. But he also knew they didn't really have time for this conversation.

"Believe me, Kakashi, I'm not your enemy. I know I look like it, but I'm not. I will tell you everything, but we need to get out of here." The two Konoha-nins gave him dubious looks. Okay, another approach. "It's either escaping with me or drowning in Kisame's little trick."

Naruto opened his mouth, but Kakashi cut him off. "Alright. But I'm warning you Remus-san. Any sign on deception… and you will regret it."

It was an empty threat, and they both knew it. Kakashi was low on chakra and even though Remus also looked like he was ready to collapse, both men estimated that his fighting capabilities were most likely better than the ones of student and teacher.

But Remus gave a wry smile and a nod and moved towards the direction he had come, the other two trailing behind.

11111

One thing soon become clear to Kakashi: They had been underestimating Remus' fighting skills. And grossly at that. It should have been clear to after they saw him handle the pseudo-werewolf like that. Yet, he couldn't help but be surprised as they moved towards the upper levels. So far he had counted twenty-three bodies; fourteen Oto-nin, who evidently had started transforming when they were slain and nine transformed pseudo-werewolves. Some had a hole through their chest, others had their trachea crushed and others had their heads cleaved. Combine that with the fact that he, at least from the looks of it, had disarmed Orochimaru and Kakashi was starting to worry how much they had misjudged Lupin's skills in combat.

Kakashi could think up a few possibilities for them to having underestimated him, and none of them set well with him.

He could have undergone an intense training during the time Kakashi and Naruto had been held captive, most likely under Kisame considering he was wearing an Akatsuki cloak that seemed to could fit the blue-skinned ninja. But Kakashi couldn't for the life of figure out the reason why Kisame would bother with one like Remus. Most plausible theory he could come up with was Remus having pulled one on Kisame or somehow enlisted his help, which would take lying and acting skills beyond that of your standard chuunin and jounin.

That led him on to the next possibility: Remus had been deceiving them all along and kept his chakra and skills masked to the point he had Kakashi fooled. But who he should have been spying for, Kakashi had no idea. He seriously doubted he was a spy for Akatsuki; he would be wearing a fitting uniform if that was the case. And it made no sense for him to spy for Orochimaru. In other words, if Remus was a spy, they were back at square one.

Of course there was the possibility that Orochimaru had been lying… again and that Remus and Bellatrix were some sort of shinobi who utilized those wands to perform their jutsu. But that idea was as ridiculous as teenagers mastering time-space ninjutsu on par with Minato but couldn't do something as simple as a transformation jutsu. Not only that, but Kakashi had never come across ninja who used jutsu for cooking. So either they were very old-fashioned or something completely new. But that didn't make sense either. Kakashi had read a fair share of history books and books on different ninja arts when he was younger, and he had never read of someone performing jutsu just for cooking or doing other everyday stuff. Some completely new way to harnessing chakra? Doubtful. If someone indeed had discovered or invented a way to perform jutsu that way, rumour would soon spread across the world.

All in all, Kakashi knew two things: Remus' true loyalty and agenda was unknown and so was his power. And not knowing those two things was driving Kakashi insane.

*click*

The three of them stopped dead in their tracks, glancing at each. Looking down, they saw Naruto had stepped on a stone and said stone had been forced into the floor.

Kakashi glanced around, preparing to duck or evade any projectiles at a moment's notice. But they never came. 'What have you put in store for us, Orochimaru? No spears, no fire from the surrounding walls, no shurikens or poisoned senbon? What is your game?'

The absence of a deadly trap activating unnerved Kakashi as that meant Orochimaru most likely had planned something even more deadly. Surely…

"What is that sound?"

The question from the trio's youngest member made the two men frown in thought. But they didn't have to think long why the sound was familiar.

Glancing over his shoulders, Kakashi saw why he had been right in assuming that Orochimaru had planned something sinister for this trap. The floor was crumbling, and several storeys below them, they could hear water violently surging through the corridors, slowly but surely tearing apart the entire fortress.

"RUN!"

Lupin shouting the obvious was unnecessary, but it motivated them to get in gear nonetheless. Tearing down the corridor as fast as their legs could, they soon outran they rift in the floor. But they hadn't seen the entire trap, or perhaps it was just bad luck.

Whatever it was, Remus slid to a halt, sending dust and very small stones into the air, barely keeping his balance when Naruto slammed into his back. Reason for the abrupt stop: The staircase was gone, leaving a large hole in the floor and ceiling.

Kakashi, body bag over his shoulder, moved to the edge of the hole, Naruto between him and Remus. Looking down, he could see water gushing and trying to force its way up. Glancing up, he saw there were three or so floors up. With chakra, it wouldn't be a problem as they could have just boosted their jumps. But as Naruto's chakra was effectively blocked and Kakashi was dangerously close to total depletion, it wouldn't be that easy.

"How the heck are we going to get up there?"

Kakashi looked at his student. He was putting up a brave front, but Kakashi could see the fear in his eyes. Glancing at Remus, he saw the older man frowning, clearly contemplating something. Then his gaze shifted, giving the two others a look that clearly spoke they weren't going to like whatever he was thinking.

"What is it, Remus-san?"

Remus sighed. He knew they didn't trust him, and he couldn't exactly blame them right now, considering his attire and appearance. But he was going to get them out, whether they wanted his help or not. Sniffing the air a few times, he spoke.

"I'm going to get you out of here, whether you trust me or not. But you aren't going to like it. Naruto… I hope those clothes are durable."

Naruto stared. He knew he looked funny wearing Kakashi's shirt, but this was hardly the time for cracking jokes about fashion. "What are you…? WAAAH!"

Before Kakashi could blink or Naruto finish whatever he was going to say, Remus grabbed the boy by the collar and waistband and threw him into the air. Naruto landed with a dull thud on the third floor from theirs. Then they heard a faintly moan of the "mother of all wedgies."

Kakashi moved as Remus made to make a repeat. "Don't even think about it. There is no way you are going to throw me like that. Besides, I have no shirt on, so you can't get take a hold the same way.

Remus frowned. Indeed, that was a problem he hadn't taken into his calculations. "You are right. I guess I will just have to carry you on my back then."

Kakashi stared at Remus. A piggyback ride? Sure, why not. At least if it failed, he could ensure they would be one potential enemy less. With his current chakra level, he doubted he could climb up there on his own. But then the horrible image of Gai giving him a piggyback ride to Konoha flashed to mind. He was still hearing about that in the Jounin Lounge and every time Izumo or Kotetsu got a bit too much to drink. 'And that is the reason that idea is a no go. But…'

"No thanks, Remus-san. But I have another solution: If you take position on the other side of the hole in front of us, can you lend me a hand or two?"

Catching on to Kakashi's line of thought, Remus made a few quick calculations. It would be risky, but chances for success were better than the ones of him carrying him. And he could feel his strength waning by the second, so he doubted he could have carried the extra weight. Nodding quickly, Remus made sure he got some run-up before jumping and landing safely on the other side. He turned around and gave a small nod to Kakashi.

The jounin nodded and prepared to jump. He knew was putting an awfully lot of trust in Remus right now, but he knew their chances of survival were better if they worked together. And he was aware Remus knew that too, making the risks of him betraying them minimal. At least if he was sane. Glancing at the hole and Remus holding out his hands, left supporting right from below, Kakashi knew their timing would have to be flawless. One mistake on any of their parts and the results wouldn't be pretty.

He was about to break into a run when he heard the cracking. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the floor tearing, and at an alarming rate.

'Guess I better move then.'

Breaking into a run, he was soon racing the rift in the floor. He took of from the edge of the hole, and one second later, he felt his right foot land safely on Remus' palms before he was soaring upwards, Remus using his entire body to move him through the air.

Kakashi landed on the edge of the same floor Naruto was on, but he was quickly pulled away from it by Naruto.

"Come on Kakashi-sensei, let's go!"

Kakashi gave his student a stern look. He couldn't blame the teenager for wanting to get out, but he was being a bit ungrateful. Enemy or not, Remus had probably just saved Naruto's life "Naruto…"

The disapproval in his teacher's voice was enough to make Naruto lower his gaze and feel ashamed. "Sorry."

Kakashi nodded before looking down towards Remus, who was looking back up at him, jaw clenching.

'_Remus, you can't make it one go. Your strength is waning and so is mine. And after your last stunt..._'

'Don't tell me what I can and cannot do, Moony. And stop lecturing me on my decisions. You don't approve of them… too bad. You are busy fighting the poison, so don't even think about trying to control my body.'

Moony scowled. But then a smirk grew. '_You have a point, human. Alright, do as you want. Just don't get us killed. And don't deny it. You enjoyed the taste of your enemies' blood._'

Remus sighed. He didn't need a fight with Moony right now. But the smirk on the wolf's face… it puzzled him. It was combination of the smirk Moony would wear when he was satisfied with something and the smirk he would wear in anticipation before an important fight. Pushing those thoughts aside for later speculation, Remus refocused on what was important right now: Getting up to Kakashi and Naruto.

Focusing his chakra and mustering his muscle strength, he jumped to the next floor. He stuck to the edge with chakra before jumping diagonally to the edge of the next floor and the moment he landed, took off towards the floor Kakashi and Naruto was on. However, as he took off from the last floor, his vision blacked out for a second and a spasm of pain ran down his legs. He landed on his fight foot, but he lost his balance and the edge crumbled under his right foot the coursing river several levels below.

He would have died if Kakashi hadn't acted on instinct. Tossing aside the body bag, Kakashi threw himself across the floor and, in the last second, got a firm grip around the other man's wrist.

The surprise was on Remus' blood smeared face, but when their eyes connected, Kakashi was seeing something different.

Two children hanging from a couple of swings, dead, and a woman with a rope around her neck dangling from a window. Then, he felt the surge of inhuman blood thirst and rage. It was as Kakashi was there himself. He saw a man being eaten alive by wolves made of fire, heard every bone in another man's body break before he died, saw a man getting choked to death. Then, the image of Remus' murderous and bloodthirsty face came into focus, and Kakashi felt a small shiver run down his spine. It was a face and man completely different to the one he had met weeks ago.

The Copy-Ninja shook his head slightly in order to clear the hallucinations, although he was starting to suspect they might be a bit more complicated than that, from his mind and focused on the man who was staring up at him.

The image of Lupin's murderous face sprang to mind again, and for moment, Kakashi contemplated letting go. That way, they would be one potential threat less. But then reason took hold again. If he did that, he was sure to never get answers to all of his questions. Answers both he and the village of Konoha needed.

As he came to that conclusion, he felt two hands wrap around his ankles and he didn't need to look over his shoulder to know that it was Naruto and that the blonde would help and together student and sensei pulled the third member of their party up.

Lupin looked at the two people before him, regaining his breath. "That was a little too close for comfort. Thank you."

Picking up the body bag, Kakashi spoke. "Don't thank us quite yet. We still don't know if we can trust you. But our chances for surviving this are better together. So let's get the hell out of and then you can start explaining and earning out trust."

Lupin nodded and pushed himself to his feet. He hadn't expected anything less. With that, they set off.

11111

Kakashi looked around, not believing the irony of it all. To think that Remus had led him here of all places. To think that the room where he was bitten by that werewolf would be the same room he would escape from.

Glancing at Remus, he noticed the pearls of sweat mixing with the dried blood and the other man's breaths were coming in gasps. They had run all the way here, racing against time, and it had clearly taken its toll on the other man and Kakashi had this suspicion telling him that Remus was running solely on adrenaline and willpower by now. And he was afraid he was not much better off himself.

As for Naruto… well, Kakashi was proud. The young blonde was clearly tired and Kakashi imagined how much the teenager's muscles were protesting by now. Yet, he hadn't complained or said he was tired once. But Kakashi was also painfully aware that this would mark Naruto deeply; not just physically, but also mentally, and it would take many hours of therapy with Inoichi and Ibiki for him to move on. But Kakashi was also sure that if anyone could help Naruto, it would be those two. Kakashi heavily doubted anyone in the Five Great Nations knew more about the human psyche than the Konoha's own Inoichi Yamanaka and Ibiki Morino.

But that wasn't as important as getting out from this godforsaken fortress. And much to his amusement, Remus was already holding his hands in order to give the two other a horseshoe.

"Kakashi, I suggest you go first. You can steady Naruto once you are outside."

Naruto gave his teacher a questioning look, clearly wanting to know what Kakashi thought of that idea. And the Copy-Ninja soon came to a conclusion.

"Alright, let's do it."

Remus nodded. Then he tensed up. "Hurry. Someone is coming."

Kakashi listened. Indeed, the sound of footfalls reached his ears. It was faint, but whoever was approaching was coming in fast. That settled, Kakashi wasted no time in jumping onto Remus' waiting hands and soon found himself on the roof of the glass-topped tower, a small breeze blowing against his face, tousling his hair, while the sunrise gave the sky a pink hue. After having spent so long time underground, Kakashi had a hard time remembering anything more beautiful.

But he knew they couldn't relax just yet. They had a long way home and were far from safety. He was soon joined by the two others. Glancing down, they saw they would have to jump precisely in order to avoid the rocks. Glancing at Kakashi to his right and over his shoulder at Remus, Naruto asked the obvious.

"Who first?"

Before either of them could answer, however, the roof under their feet were torn apart by a huge bullet of water, sending all three of them into the air with surprising force, glass shards trying to force their way through the soles of their sandals.

Things seemed to happen in slow-motion. As they descended towards the water, Kakashi tossed the body bag away, confident that it wouldn't sink for some time. He twisted his body to get a look at their attacker on the tower who was clearly preparing for another attack. But out of his peripheral vision he saw Remus, who was the one who had been to be flung highest into the air forming seals even as he fell towards the lake.

"Fire Element: Fireball jutsu!"

Instead of a ball, Remus blew a small steam fire towards the enemy. Yet, Kakashi found himself wishing, just for the fraction of a second, that he had chakra enough to risk opening his Sharingan, for the steam of fire morphed into a wolf that, though it was much smaller than the one Remus produced the first time, ran through the air towards their assailant.

Their enemy fired a bullet of water from his mouth and Kakashi made a mental checklist over people he had seen use that trick. The purpose of the water bullet was clearly to extinguish the wolf, but the fiery wolf seemed to have a mind of it own, for it danced around the water attack. But Kakashi didn't see if the fire attack hit its mark, for in the next second he had to turn and prepare himself for a dive.

Kakashi cut through the water like an expert diver and when he resurfaced, he got a hold of the body bag. But he couldn't see Naruto or Remus anywhere.

"Naruto!"

A gasp several metres behind him made him turn around. There was Remus, spluttering for air, blood slowly being washed away. Kakashi saw the suspected spy turn his head in every direction before his eye widened, took a deep breath and dived.

Cursing all the gods and devils he knew, Kakashi swam to where Remus had been moments before. When Kakashi reached halfway, Lupin resurfaced, an unconscious blond teenager with him. For a moment Kakashi feared for his student's life, but instead of trying to outswim him, Remus started swimming towards him, all the time keeping Naruto's head above the water.

No words were exchanged as Kakashi took up position on Naruto's right while Remus took the blonde's left.

Together, the two men started manoeuvring the teenager to the shore, Kakashi never letting go of the body bag in his hand. It was a slow process, and they could feel their muscles protesting with every slow move they took. They had to move in sync, but they also knew that they would waste energy if they sped up. On the other hand, they couldn't afford to move too slow as the water was freezing cold.

But after ten minutes, they reached the shore. Tired, but knowing they couldn't afford to stay where they were, they headed in between the trees before starting heading south, towards Konoha. Kakashi felt he was abandoning his comrades still inside the hidden fortress, but he knew there was nothing he could do for them now. As a shinobi, you was sometimes faced with impossible choices. It was part of the job. Not that it made it any easier.

All he could was having faith in them. And he did. Kakashi was certain Shikaku Nara and Yamato was part of the squad behind the infiltration, considering how effectively the enemy's communication had been blocked. Moreover, Kakashi seriously doubted it was just the two of them. Whoever was with them would be top ninja too, so they could fend for themselves.

Kakashi idly wondered how Konoha had tracked them here, but pushed that to the side for later analysis when Naruto opened his eyes.

"Ugh… what happened?"

Looking sadly at the blond between them, Remus spoke up on the left. "I think you hit the water the wrong way. You have been unconscious up till now."

Naruto nodded absently. "Yeah… I hit the water with my left side, shoulder first followed by my head. Then…"

Naruto realized both Kakashi and Remus was supporting him and he gave the latter a push. "Get away from me!"

Kakashi frowned. Naruto was acting strange. Sure, he himself didn't trust Remus either but he doubted Remus was an enemy. "Naruto… stop. I doubt Remus-san is a member of Akatsuki." He cut across Naruto as the teenager opened his mouth to protest. "Besides, he was the one who pulled you to the surface. He saved your life. You are in his debt."

Naruto shut his mouth and stared, utterly dumbfounded, at Lupin. He was wearing an Akatsuki cloak, a cloak of an organization that hunted Jinchuuriki. Yet, he seemed genuinely concerned for his wellbeing. And now, with most of the blood washed away from his face, Naruto couldn't help but look at the long wound running across his left eye, similar yet different from Kakashi's.

And hating to admit it, Naruto could see quite a lot of similarities between the two men. Both were smart and more powerful than they looked. Both were devious cunning and patient, as he had proved by not reacting by his outburst before.

But before Naruto could respond, an angry growl cut through the morning air. "You are quite a pesky bunch. After all my efforts, and you still got away from me. But I finally caught up to you."

Spinning on their heels, they saw Kisame Hoshigaki glaring at them, Samehada pointed at them.

Kakashi mentally swore, only vaguely registering the scorch marks on the Monster of the Hidden Mist's cloak, confirming his earlier suspicions about the identity of the attacker. Not that it did them any good though. None of them were in any condition to fight, and by the way Remus had been walking the past minutes, the Copy-Ninja was certain the other man's vision had blacked out a few times. But before he could come up with a plan, or a sarcastic remark, Kisame spoke again.

"Copy-Ninja: You should consider yourself lucky that my superiors want you and the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki alive. Personally I would prefer to just kill you and be done with it." A sadistic grin spread across the behemoth's face. "I see you survived my little water jutsu, Inu. And I admit being just a bit surprised that you survived in there on your own. More so by your little display of your mastery of fire jutsu. I originally intended to dispatch of you should you, against all odds, survive encountering the monsters you mentioned… but I just spoke with one of my superiors. He said that Akatsuki could use a man with your abilities, considering how effectively you fooled me when we first met. I was sure you was some talentless piece of garbage. I still think so and would love nothing better to wring your neck… I could use it to blow off some steam. Unfortunately, the Leader things differently. Here."

He tossed something small to Remus who deftly caught it Opening his fist, the one-eyed wizard looked at a white porcelain ring with a red middle, in which there was a kanji he didn't know. "What is this?"

Kisame grinned. "You sure aren't too bright, are you? That is an offer. You are being offered a place in the brotherhood that is Akatsuki."

Kakashi stared, not believing what was going on. He looked at Naruto; as predicted, his face was contorted with rage and if Kakashi not was mistaken, fear. He looked at Remus, standing a few feet away from them due to Naruto's push. His face was unreadable, but by the frown on his face, Kakashi could almost hear the gears turning and he desperately hoped Remus was thinking up a plan.

Kisame was clearly losing his patience. "Make your decision already. Do you, or do you not, accept the offer to join the ranks of Akatsuki?"

Then, the frown vanished from Lupin's face and he met Kisame's gaze.

11111

Remus caught the ring with ease. It was made of white porcelain or something similar to it, its red middle reminding him of blood. The kanji probably referred to something, but he had no idea what. "What is this?"

He could hear the suppressed rage in Kisame's mocking voice. "You sure aren't too bright, are you? You are being offered a place in the brotherhood that is Akatsuki."

Remus quickly schooled his face into an unreadable mask, contemplating. Brotherhood? It wasn't what Lupin had heard about Akatsuki. And if the rest of them was anything like Kisame… well, no thanks to those brothers. But he was fairly certain Kisame would kill him on the spot if he refused. A suspicion that was confirmed by a quick glance at the blue-skinned man who was watching him with eager eyes.

Lupin also knew that if he placed the ring on his finger, Kakashi and Naruto would never trust him again. And he was fairly sure that if Akatsuki got their hands on the two Leaf-ninja, it would mean certain death. He had to find a way to save them. And himself.

Fighting off Kisame was out of the question. He was fighting to keep on his feet and keeping his vision clear, and Moony was battling the venom in his system. He was only a question before he blacked out. And when that happened, there was nothing to stop Kisame from taking Kakashi and Naruto with him. And if Remus had judged Kisame's character and nature right, he would not hesitate to dispatch of him.

"Make your decision already. Do you, or do you not, accept the offer to join the ranks of Akatsuki?"

Kisame's voice cut through his thoughts like knife and he quickly thought up a plan. 'Merlin forgive me.'

Remus had never believed in God, but right now he was silently praying to whoever was listening that this would work.

Meeting the Akatsuki member's gaze, he slid the ring onto his right ring finger. "I accept the offer. I will join Akatsuki."

Kisame's face fell, confirming Remus' suspicion, and his voice clearly masked some serious disappointment. "I see. Then we better hurry up before Zetsu arrives. Here."

With that Kisame tossed a kunai to Remus, making sure it was out of range for the Copy-Ninja swift hands.

Kakashi watched the knife fly through the air in slow-motion, forcing back down the feeling of betrayal. 'So Remus-san was an enemy after all. I can't believe it. Remus-san… you are the best deceiver I have ever… what?'

As Remus caught the knife in his hand, Kakashi and Remus locked gazes. And it wasn't what Kakashi expected. That single eye held many emotions, and some of them were not what Kakashi expected from an enemy.

In Remus' eye he could see anger, self-loathing and regret. Moreover, he could see the silent plea for forgiveness. And Kakashi had a feeling he had figured out Remus' motives. Then, everything went black.

11111

It all happened so fast. Remus caught the knife in his right hand and as he did so, he met the cold gaze of Kakashi, and he desperately hoped that he could, some day, earn back the forgiveness and trust of Kakashi and Naruto. Especially considering the hardest part of his quick thought and ill-advised plan yet had to succeed. And as their eyes met, Remus imagined he saw understanding lit in Kakashi's eye.

In the next moment, Kakashi was under his foot, knocked out cold by swift blow to the neck and Lupin twisted Naruto's arm back and held the kunai to the boy's throat.

"Lower your weapon! Lower it now!"

"What the…"

"You filthy… traitor!"

"Lower your weapon!"

"Kakashi-sensei… trusted you! BASTARD!"

Remus mentally cursed. He was getting nowhere, and to make matters worse, he could feel his strength waning with each passing second. Soon he would be a sitting duck and Naruto would be on his own. Hating himself for having to do it, but knowing it was necessary, he tightened his hold on Naruto's wrist and draw a single drop of blood from the teenager's throat.

"Lower your weapon Kisame, or the Jinchuuriki dies!"

Now that definitely got Kisame's attention. Glaring bloody murder at the man he had come to turn to know as Inu, he lowered Samehada. Nodding, Remus removed the kunai slightly and loosened.

Naruto, feeling the tip leave his throat, started up again. "So it's Inu huh? So you have lying this whole time! We trusted you…"

"Be quiet Naruto! I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I have to."

As if to emphasize his point, Remus gave the blonde's wrist a painful squeeze. Then he focused on his current adversary, Kisame Hoshigaki.

Growling and baring his teeth, Kisame succeeded in suppressing his urge to attack. "Inu… what is the meaning of this? You betray the Akatsuki the moment the ring was placed on your finger… explain yourself and maybe your death will be quick!"

Remus met the gaze of the blue-skinned behemoth with an eye void of any warmth, thought running hundreds of miles per hour. "Sorry Kisame, but I have no intention of joining the Akatsuki. I was never interested in becoming a member of your brotherhood. What I'm interested in, however, is the bounty placed for the head of the infamous Copy-Ninja. Even dead, his head is worth a considerable amount of money. But of course I would prefer getting the full jackpot. 50 millions worth breathing, 40 millions dead."

Kisame grit his teeth. This guy was probably worse than Kakuzu. Although he found it a little strange the zombie had never mentioned Kakashi of the Sharingan being worth that much cash. But he would have to ponder that later. Right now he needed to get his hands on the traitor without killing one of his targets.

"In that case, give me the boy. I will let you go with Kakashi of the Sharingan if you do."

Remus laughed, eye never the Akatsuki member. "Would the farmer trust a hungry fox with his chickens? Or would the fisherman trust a shark with his catch? No, I think not. Trusting you to uphold your part of the bargain would be suicide. I admit I was taking a gamble when I first met you, but I knew your power was what I needed to get inside the underground fortress. So I played the role of an escapee to enlist your help. Besides, rumour has it that the guy under my foot can be quite troublesome keeping cooperative. But rumour also said he would be much easier to handle if the life of one of his precious people is on the line."

Kisame grit his teeth harder as he felt his temper rising. He hated when people lied to him. He was going to make Inu pay for this betrayal. "So you used me to achieve your own goals."

Remus smiled. "Yes."

That was it. Kisame was going rip Inu into pieces. "I'm going to make you pay. You are not walking away from this scene and you will beg for death before I'm through with you!"

With that he raised Samehada and took a step forward. Lupin reacted instantly. He tightened his grip to the point you could hear the bones creaking before they would break while raising the kunai to Naruto's Adam's apple and threatening to break Kakashi's neck with his foot.

"One step closer and they both die!"

Kisame stopped dead in his tracks, hatred written all over his face. A feeling matched in Lupin's single eye. That had been far too close. "You bastard." Then he grinned. "But we both know you won't do it. If you do, you will have no bargain chip. I win."

Remus frowned, knowing Kisame got a point. But he was far too close now. "Really? Then why don't you try me and see if I dare or not? Indeed, it will result in my death, but considering you need the Jinchuuriki alive, I doubt your Leader will be too pleased by learning he is dead." He underlined his point by drawing a few drops of blood, making the blond hiss and whimper in pain. "The next move is yours, Kisame."

Kisame wanted nothing more than to kill the man in front of him. Unfortunately, the Jinchuuriki was right in the line of fire, so using a ninjutsu of any offensive art was too risky. An advantage the other man seemed to be aware of as he shifted slightly on his feet, getting more of his body behind the teenager.

The Monster of the Hidden Mist knew he was far stronger than Inu, but what good did that do if the enemy killed the targets of his mission first? Besides, considering what Inu had just revealed and that mysterious black charka, Kisame wouldn't rule out the possibility for his foe having more tricks up his sleeve.

Finally, his adversary had pointed out something that had slipped Kisame's mind the first time around. Indeed, Madara would be angry when he learned when Kisame told him that failed the mission to bring Kakashi of the Sharingan. Still, it would be nothing compared to his anger should one of the Jinchuuriki be killed. And it wouldn't just be the wrath of Madara he would have to face should the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki die. No, he would also have to face the fury of Pain, and that was not something Kisame was keen on experiencing.

Kisame couldn't help but notice the irony of it all. He had always hated when Itachi ended the fight before it even began without really moving. And now, it was an ability like that he needed. But Itachi wasn't here and there was no way in hell he was going to risk underestimating Inu again. Especially when doing so could result in the death of two of his targets and thus a gruesome punishment.

So Kisame did the only thing he could think of in this situation: He put Samehada onto his back and snarled. "You win this time around, Inu. But rest assured: I will not forget this. No one makes a fool out of Kisame Hoshigaki without getting punished for it. I will find you… and when that happens, you won't be this lucky."

Remus smiled, forcing the relief not to show on his face. Instead, it schooled it into a mask of cold indifference. "Perhaps. But until that time comes, you better leave. And tell all in your brotherhood that I will not hesitate to kill the Jinchuuriki if I as much as suspect seeing an Akatsuki cloak."

Kisame growled, and in his mind, he thought of how he was going to make Inu suffer. But for now, he better retreat… even if it only was to lessen the punishment for failure. With that, he took off into the treetops.

Sniffing the air, Remus waited till he was sure Kisame wasn't trying to pull one on him. He wouldn't put it past him. Thus he waited whole five minutes, but when he didn't detect the scent or any sound of the monstrous ninja approach, he relaxed.

'_Well done, Remus. I wasn't sure you would manage to pull through with it. But it seems you are starting to think like these people._'

Remus panted, feeling the adrenaline leaving and venom spreading in his system. 'I know. But I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not. Time to explain things to Naruto. I hope he will at least listen.'

Remus removed the kunai from Naruto's throat, and started loosening his hold. He wasn't interested in the teenager lashing out just yet. But then something happened. Something Remus sure didn't mean to do. He felt his body move of its own accord, flinging away the kunai and release Naruto completely as he took a step backwards. The boy took a few steps away from the man before collapsing to his knees, massaging his throat.

'_What the…! This is not of mine doing._'

Remus didn't need Moony confirming his first impression. If it had been Moony's doing, the actions would have been much different as they would have resulted in at least one kill. Struggling against whatever invisible bind that had taken control of his body, he looked over his right shoulder and he felt his eye widen in surprise.

A group of shinobi, all except one wearing the insignia for the Leaf Village was staring at him with murder in their eyes. He recognized Jiraiya, Sakura, Shizune and Yamato, but not the woman and last man. Although he believed the other woman with the big snarling dog might be a relative of that boy, Kiba. But he had no idea who the last man was. But he was apparently the one who was controlling his movements with… his shadow?

But Lupin didn't have long to ponder that strange trick. Despite the Leaf shinobi all looking quite battered, covered with gashes and burn, and much to his horror, bite marks, they all looked ready to kill him where he stood. And he knew how things looked in their eyes. So he figured he better start talking, especially when all but the shadow master started advancing.

"_I know how things looks, but I'm not your enemy. If you will let me explain..._"

It had the desired effect as they all stopped walking towards him. But instead of demanding an explanation or asking questions as they were in the their good right to, they exchanged confused glances before narrowing their eyes in suspicion. Frowning, Remus tried again.

"_I will explain anything but right now we to get Kakashi and Naruto…_"

Lupin trailed off as he realized why they narrowed their eyes even more and the confused glances from before. The Translation spell had worn off, leaving them unable to understand him.

That realization and the cursing of his bad timing was the last he knew before exhaustion and venom caught up with him and everything went black. He was unconscious before Naruto's fist made contact with his face.

End chapter 18.

*prepares to run if I spot pitchforks, torches or other nasty stuff.*

I hope you enjoyed and that I didn't went overboard.

Next time: Cut His Life Into Pieces. Kakashi's Last Resort!

"Kakashi, would you please repeat that? I must have heard you wrong or something."

00000

"Kakashi, we need to talk. Naruto… he…"

00000

"I, Kakashi Hatake, hereby…"


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Terrible News and Trial

Jiraiya scratched his ear, trying to get rid of the imaginary earwax in his ear, gaping at the younger shinobi in the hospital bed, not believing what he had heard. He and the others had escaped through a hole in ceiling, clearly the passage the monsters had come from. Yamato had almost been bitten, but he had managed to turn his arm into wood before the creature's teeth could sink into his flesh. With the beasts in hot pursuit, they had escaped to the surface, and Yamato and Sakura had efficiently blocked the tunnel with stones and wood.

And much to their dismay, they had come up near their previous camp. Then Tsume had said she could smell Kakashi and Naruto and two unidentified scents. Tsume and her companion leading the way. What they found had been a shock to say the least and Jiraiya had felt two emotions: Guilt that he was going to fail both Sakumo and Minato, and rage that the Akatsuki would be reason he failed to keep those promises.

An Akatsuki member had been standing with his foot ready to crush Kakashi's neck and slitting Naruto's throat. It was only due to Shikaku's quick thinking they had been able to save their friends without endangering them. But then something strange had happened: the Akatsuki member had started talking some sort of weird language. He was probably trying to stall time for back-up but he ended up unconscious without them having to fight him.

And Jiraiya's anger was sated when he learned that the Akatsuki member was Remus, the man Tsunade had told them to bring back and be wary off. Something that was only underlined by the sword he carried. The sword that Orochimaru had used when he killed Sarutobi-sensei. No question, this Remus was dangerous and an enemy of the Leaf.

This was why that now, after almost one week of unconsciousness, he couldn't figure out what was going through the head of Sakumo's son. The only logical conclusion was that Remus had put a very, very intricate genjutsu on Kakashi, for there was no way a clear thinking Kakashi would say what he had just said. And it couldn't be because Jiraiya was getting old. For getting old meant that you couldn't look at the lovely curves of the women the world had to offer. And that wasn't going to happen anytime soon if Jiraiya had something to say.

Giving his ear a last scratch, just for good measure, Jiraiya did something he had never thought he would do when dealing with Kakashi.

"Kakashi, could you please repeat that? I must have heard you wrong or something."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the Toad Sannin. He had woken up the day before, and for the first time in his life, he was perfectly happy waking up surrounded by the familiar walls of Konoha Hospital. Especially when he learned Naruto had been rescued as well. After that he had fallen asleep, finally allowing his body to rest a bit. But now he wasn't that happy. Reason: The two people he respected the most were being difficult.

"I don't believe I stuttered, Jiraiya-sama."

Tsunade frowned and bit her lip, keeping a steady stare with slightly narrowed eyes at the silver-haired ninja. Always a danger sign. "So, Brat, let me see if I get this straight. You want Remus Lupin, a man who was wearing the Akatsuki uniform, carried the sword that killed the Third, threatened not just you own life but Naruto's as well, and a supposed spy, out of his holding cell and transferred to the Hospital?"

Kakashi smiled. "And his wand returned to him, yes."

That was it. Tsunade exploded. "That is not going to happen Brat! You seriously expect me to let you be in the same room as an assumed member of Akatsuki and possible spy? And even if we look away from that, why would you want to be in the same room as one who almost killed you and the Boy!"

Kakashi tilted his head slightly. He had never heard Tsunade call Naruto 'Boy' before. But he had more pressing matters to attend to: Making the two Sannins see reason. "If he is a member of Akatsuki, he can provide us with valuable information."

Jiraiya frowned. "Our interrogation squad and truth serum can handle that."

Kakashi merely glanced at him. "If he can't understand what we are saying? When he first came here, he knew a few words, barely enough to say what he needed to understand us: His wand. He can probably understand our tongue about as much as we understand his."

"Inoichi Yamanaka will get us past that little barrier."

As if summoned by his name, the blond clan head appeared from a puff of smoke, two ANBU supporting him. Turning her head, Tsunade asked the obvious. "What did you find?"

Smiling bitterly as he sat down on a chair, Inoichi met the eyes of the Hokage. "We found out what was once inside that cage…a huge wolf. It guarded the entrance to a mountain. I couldn't get past it. Whoever this guy is, he got one heck of a guard for his mind."

Tsunade tapped her feet impatiently. "Then get some more people help you. We need the information he holds!"

Inoichi grimaced and wiped some sweat from his brow. "Already tried that. Santa almost lost his head, and Tonbo Tobitake mentally got his shoulder dislocated and is currently receiving treatment for the phantom pains. The same go for Shimon Hijiri and Mozuku. Mozuku was bit several times and we fear his arm was broken by the wolf while Shimon's left leg was crushed by its powerful jaws; it was only by combining our efforts that Santa and I that Shimon and Mozuku killed. Not since Sakumo-sensei's wolves…"

The Yamanaka shot the silver-haired ninja, well aware that Sakumo was still a sore spot for Kakashi. The Copy-Ninja's jaw clenched, but nodded for the older man to continue.

"I haven't seen a wolf so intelligent since Sakumo-sensei's. It knew exactly how to avoid our attacks, when and where to attack, how to keep the higher ground. Perhaps it was just a fluke, but it seemed like it took full advantage of its turf."

Jiraiya frowned. "Are you saying that we can't get intelligence from him?"

Inoichi rubbed his right wrist. "We could probably overpower or kill the wolf. But it will cost lives. Not to mention that it is highly possible that there are several traps within that mountain. I wouldn't put it past that guy considering he almost broke my wrist."

Tsunade's eyes widened. "He woke up? Is he awake now?"

Inoichi shook his head. "He woke up the moment Santa and I got Hijiri and Mozuku out, grabbing my wrist in a very strong grip for someone who supposedly was in comatose state. Luckily, those gents," he nodded at the ANBU, "intervened and gave him some sedatives and strapped him down. We got here as fast we could."

Tsunade sighed. "So we won't get any info out of him? Then he must be executed tomorrow."

Kakashi thought now would be a good idea to cut in. "You can't do that. Give him his wand and we can interrogate him."

Tsunade turned so fast that they heard her neck give a crack. "Brat, from what I could gather from the reports given once your original team to apprehend either of the Uchiha, Remus or whatever used that stick as his primary weapon! And a powerful one at that! I'm not about to give a dangerous enemy his most powerful weapon!"

Usually, Kakashi would back down when Tsunade used that voice and had that expression gracing her face. It was a face that would make even Jiraiya shut up. Kakashi respected them, more than anyone else alive, and he rarely disagreed with them or made too much of a fuss when he didn't agree with their decisions. This time, however, he was going to take the fight with them. And he was going to win, for all of their sakes. Problem was to make them see it that way. Keeping his voice calm, he spoke.

"And that weapon is the reason he could understand us in the first place. And I daresay, without that wand or stick as you have taken to call it, the fight in the woods would have gone quite differently."

Feeling the tension in the air, the ANBU and Inoichi decided now would be a good time to disappear. They had barely left the room before the Hospital shook, the last of the Hokage's patience running out.

"AND HOW CAN WE KNOW FOR SURE THAT THE SKIRMISH WASN'T STAGED BY HIM AND OTHER ACCOMPLICES? YOU MAKE IT SOUND LIKE HE ISN'T A MEMBER OF AKATSUKI!"

Kakashi winced a bit. He had forgotten how loud Tsunade could be. Still, he kept his cool. It would do no good aggravating the busty woman further. "I don't. The cloak was too big and he didn't wear the ring when we first met him."

That did nothing to appease the blond lady. "THAT IS NOT PROOF KAKASHI, AND YOU KNOW IT! FOR ALL WE KNOW, HE COULD HAVE BEEN AN UNDERLING AND THIS WAS HIS FINAL TEST TO BECOME AN OFFICIAL MEMBER!"

Kakashi shook his head, taking a few deep breaths. Tsunade's shouting was not helping his mood, or his patience. "Doubt it. He seemed far from pleased about seeing Kisame." Noticing Tsunade was about to start yelling again, Kakashi moved on. "Second of all, Remus-san has had more than enough opportunities to kill me and capture Naruto if he indeed worked for Akatsuki. He didn't. I have the feeling that he was pulling a very dangerous trick on Kisame; a trick that could have cost him his life and ended in the capture of Naruto and myself. For some reason, one of the upper ones in the Akatsuki wants me alive."

Jiraiya frowned, pondering it. It made sense, to some degree at least. But he still rather doubted that Remus was trustworthy.

"Let's just assume you are right about him not being a member of Akatsuki… then why did he wear the Akatsuki cloak? Better yet, why was he carrying the Sword of Kusanagi that was last seen used by Orochimaru?"

Kakashi turned his head to meet the eyes of the older man. "As I said, I think it was a trick. I have that he somehow enlisted Kisame's help, at great personal risk and picked up a few tricks along the way. Nothing wrong with that really; it was a shinobi do." Tsunade opened her mouth, so Kakashi hurried on. "As for the sword… I guess he had a run-in with Orochimaru."

Now that shut the mouth of the two older shinobi rather effectively. Confusion was, however, quickly replaced with disbelief, worry and suspicion. Jiraiya spoke for both of them, eyes slightly narrowed. "Kakashi, Orochimaru is dead and has been for quite some time. You know that. You were there, remember?"

That was it. Now Kakashi's patience was wearing thin. Did they really think that, after all he had been through in life he had finally lost his sanity? Or worse, that he was an impostor?

"He is dead now, yes. I killed him. But when Remus-san and I woke up, we were greeted by Orochimaru, very much alive and kicking. And… where is the body bag?"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, but waved her hand nonetheless and Kakashi felt a shift in the air, the ANBU in the corner leaving. He appeared a minute later, the body bag in hand. Jiraiya sniffed the air, the scent of slow decay attacking his nose.

"Jiraiya, why did you bring that with you?"

The Toad Master simply shrugged before answering the Slug Princess' inquiry. "I figured the Brat would have a good reason for weighing himself down when trying to escape." He sniffed the air, his face scrunching up in slight disgust. "That smell…"

Tsunade nodded as Kakashi started rummaging the bag. "Decaying flesh in the process' early stages. Huh? A book? A scroll? Kakashi, what are you looking…" her voice lowered to a whisper, eyes widening in shock. "Impossible."

Jiraiya looked lost for words as he stared at the head of his former teammate and friend. Orochimaru's head was far paler than he remembered it from their encounter a couple of years back. Venturing a glance to his left, he saw his thoughts were mirrored by Tsunade who looked sad, disgusted, angry, and fearful. But she was not the Hokage for nothing and she quickly regained her composure as Kakashi put the head back into the bag and handed it to the ANBU who, despite his training, looked shaken to his core if his body language was anything to go by. As the ANBU vanished, the Hokage spoke.

"How can this be true? Orochimaru was supposed to be dead by the hands of Sasuke Uchiha!"

Kakashi shook his head as he rested against his headboard, meeting the eyes of the two remaining Sannins. He knew he had shaken them and now he needed to push forward again. "I don't know. But Orochimaru revealed he had had dealings with a man named Voldemort, who in all likeliness is an enemy of Remus-san. I believe Remus-san will be able to explain how Orochimaru survived."

Kakashi let out a sigh. "As to why I decided to bring back that head: Orochimaru said that these damned collars can only be removed if he runs his chakra into them. Tsunade-sama, you understand the human body better than anyone. How much chakra do you think remains functional in the head after being separated from the body for one week?"

Tsunade bit her lip, thinking on two things. First Kakashi's question and his reaction to what they would have to tell him. "For a standard shinobi, around 10%. For Orochimaru… impossible to tell." Then she caught on to Kakashi's line of thinking. "Cougar! Get Hiashi Hyuuga to the ANBU morgue! We need to extract whatever chakra that remains within Orochimaru's head!"

Another puff of smoke later and the other ANBU guard left. Tsunade met Kakashi's gaze, and his nod confirmed it had been what he would have suggested. Still… "Kakashi… you do realize that there will only be enough chakra to remove one collar, right?"

Kakashi nodded. He figured that much. Things could never be easy whenever Orochimaru was involved. "Remove Naruto's. Mine are already damaged, so I will find a way to break it completely."

Out of the corner of his eye, Kakashi saw Jiraiya grit his teeth before looking away. Raising an eyebrow at the strange behaviour of the man he in his childhood days considered an uncle, Kakashi focused on the Hokage again. To his surprise, he noticed the unshed tears in her eyes.

"Tsunade-sama… has Naruto's condition worsened?"

The blond Sannin shook her slightly, happy for not having to tell Kakashi right away. Not that the slight topic change was a good one.

"Not exactly. He won't talk to anyone, and every time someone opens the door, he screams and presses himself into a corner, trying to become as small as possible."

Kakashi nodded before frowning. Tsunade's wording… something wasn't right. Combine that with the unshed tears and Jiraiya's reaction... "Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama: What are you withholding from me?"

The Sannins exchanged glances, Tsunade mentally cursing her own wording and those ears of Kakashi's. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself.

"Kakashi, we need to talk. Naruto… he…"

But she couldn't bring herself to finish. Looking at the Toad Sannin, Kakashi noticed he looked as distraught as Tsunade. The male Sannin inhaled before exhaling slowly.

"Kakashi… you do know what Chakra Cancer is, right?"

The question caught Kakashi off guard. Of course he knew what it was. The disease was not new in itself, but it wasn't more than two years ago they found what usually caused it. Chakra Cancer was, as the name suggested, cancer in your chakra and chakra network. It would destroy your chakra and its network, and in the end, you couldn't perform even the simplest of jutsu. And if that wasn't enough, it would then spread to the rest of your body and its organs. The worst part of it all: There was no cure. People probably still wouldn't know what Chakra Cancer was if Tsunade hadn't spent the better of twenty-five years researching the subject. Thanks to her, people knew the symptoms and had medicine that could keep the disease in check, at least for a time. Unfortunately, when the symptoms showed, it was often too late. The symptoms were trouble focusing your chakra, easily tiring due to breathing problems and coughing up blood.

Problem was, those symptoms could be indicating any other illness as well, or people would tell you were out of training, and as a result, the disease often got too great a hold. Kakashi knew all too well, considering he come close to contracting Chakra Cancer himself. There was no cure once it was in running its course, but if you took it easy and got some medicine in the disease's upstart, your body would counter the disease on its own.

When he was nine, he was training to master his lightning element. A hot summer day, he got trouble breathing, but he tried keeping the flow of chakra for the early stages of Chidori nonetheless. But as we all know, if you can't breathe properly, you can't focus properly either. As a result, his lightning natured chakra got out of control and he almost fried himself when his chakra compressed itself before exploding in his hand. It was only due to the speed of Minato's Flying Thunder God that he didn't got caught up in an explosion that set the training field ablaze. Although it would appear Minato hadn't been quite fast enough, considering his clothes and hair had been badly burned.

He woke up two weeks later, and was told by Tsunade that he would have to stay in bed for several weeks as his body and chakra recovered. Moreover, much to his surprise, the Third Hokage forbade him from practising that jutsu for at least two years. Needless to say, Kakashi hadn't been happy about that, but considering it was direct order from the Hokage, he didn't have much of choice.

But now, the reason was clear. The thing that often triggered Chakra Cancer was your chakra maturing and growing too powerful too fast, usually as an aftereffect of experiencing something traumatic; in Kakashi's case, watching as life left his father's eyes. Kakashi had been lucky to be ordered to rest as he thus got away from the illness' claws. Itachi hadn't been that lucky. Kakashi would recognize the symptoms any day a week.

A cold lump formed in the Copy-Ninja's stomach and throat and he had trouble breathing as he recalled Orochimaru's words. _"Actually, you should thank me. Because of what I have done, the Akatsuki are in for a bad surprise should they ever get a hold of the boy. Let's just say it is something permanent and incurable. And… you have gotten a simple form of it too."_ and _"In either case, the boy's foolish dream of becoming Hokage is over."_

"No… it can't be. Naruto… he hasn't…"

Jiraiya nodded sadly and a tear slid down Tsunade's cheek. "Yes. Even if we remove the suppression collar, he won't be able to use any chakra. Forget about the seals branded into his skin, but almost all of his chakra points have been destroyed by Chakra Cancer. It had been injected directly into them with clinical precision. Orochimaru have clearly brushed up on his anatomy."

Kakashi had trouble breathing and thinking. After all they had been through, this was how it was going to end? After all the dangers they had survived in that hellhole, after all the torture they had endured, Orochimaru still had one trick up his sleeve. And this trick was far more devastating than his nasty traps.

Chakra Cancer… Naruto's dream would never come true. Or would it? The Copy-Ninja had taken notice of Tsunade's wording, and it gave him hope. "Almost all of his chakra points? Not all of them?"

Tsunade shook her head. "No, the chakra points in his right arm are intact."

Kakashi frowned. "How? The cancer spread with the flow of chakra." He got a new spark of hope. "Are you sure it was Chakra Cancer? It couldn't be something…"

Tsunade cut him off. "Brat, we had all the Hyuuga ranging from their eldest to Neji Hyuuga check on him. They all came to the same conclusion: Chakra Cancer."

It was a bitter pill, but Kakashi wanted to get to the bottom of this. "Then how…"

Jiraiya answered, trying his best to mask his grief. "Tsunade, Hiashi and Neji Hyuuga and I worked in two days on a way to stop the cancer from spreading. First, we came up with a seal that would allow chakra to flow out in his arm but filtrate out the cancer around his shoulder. But we soon figured that as the amount would increase, putting pressure on the seal; it would only be a matter before the seal would shatter. The Hyuuga kid came up with a better solution."

Kakashi raised his right eyebrow slightly, before Tsunade answered his silent question. "Recycling and filtrating Naruto's chakra. Neji Hyuuga created artificial pathways for Naruto's chakra around his right shoulder. The chakra will still be able to run in his right arm while the cancer will be separated and transported back to the already infected chakra. Neji estimates that the artificial pathways will have to either be repaired or replaced. It's not a cure and Naruto will be on medicine on the rest of his life. Still…"

She didn't need to complete that sentence. Better medicine for the rest of his life and hope that a cure was discovered than dead. And considering the progress Naruto's generation was making, Kakashi had no doubt it would one of them to find a cure. One had added his nature affinity to the Rasengan, something Minato, his teacher, could not. One had figured out the type of poison Sasori had used by a basic check and come up with an antidote. And now… now one had figured out a way to stop Chakra Cancer from spreading once it was in outbreak and running amok.

Sighing, Kakashi closed his eye as he readjusted his position, trying to get comfortable. When he opened his eye again, he found himself under Tsunade's scrutinizing gaze. He felt his heart move towards his throat.

"Don't tell me there is more?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Kakashi… you had the Chakra Cancer as well."

At that, Kakashi raised his eyebrow. "I know. But that was many years ago."

The Toad Sannin shook his head. "Not then. You had it as late as yesterday. Today… you haven't."

Okay, to say Kakashi was surprised was an understatement. Then he once more recalled what Orochimaru had said. _"And… you have gotten a simple form of it too."_ But now he didn't have the blasted illness? Granted Orochimaru had said it had only been a simple form, the Copy-Ninja doubted that a few days rest would be all it would take to get rid of something involving the Snake Sannin.

"How is that possible?"

Tsunade answered the question, a frown creasing her brow. "The secondary chakra network you are developing. It brought the infected chakra to the surface and out of your system. That second chakra network and pathways bear a close resemblance to that of Remus Lupin." Her frown deepened and her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You wouldn't have any idea why that is, do you Brat?"

Kakashi could feel his heart skip a beat. He did have an idea, but telling them that might prove counterproductive to his agenda. Especially if they killed Remus after hearing about that little incident. He didn't trust Remus one bit, but he still needed answers to his many questions.

"No, can't say I do."

Jiraiya sighed. Kakashi was lying and both he and Tsunade knew it. Glancing at his fellow Sannin, Konoha's biggest pervert noticed the vein near her temple bulging and the look on her face that signified she wanted to beat up someone; it was kind of nice not being the one on the receiving of that stare for a change. Looking at Kakashi, the Toad Sannin noticed a pearl of sweat run down the younger man's brow. But whether it was from the strain of sitting up or nervousness for Tsunade's decision, he couldn't say.

And though he hated to admit it, Jiraiya knew that the Brat had driven both of them up in a corner they couldn't get out of. Torturing Remus for information would do them little good if they weren't able to tell what he was saying, and it would be far too dangerous to send in any of Interrogation Force to extract the intelligence needed by viewing his memories.

Likewise, they couldn't send Kakashi to the Torture and Interrogation Force without a good reason for doing so. And if there was one trait both Kakashi and Sakumo always had shared, it was stubbornness. Once the obstinate Hatake's really set their mind of something, it would probably take a Bijuu to dissuade them. And it was clear Kakashi was not going to tell them his idea as to why a second chakra network was developing as they spoke.

Ordering Kakashi to spill it wasn't going to work either; stubbornness aside, no matter how much they loathed to admit it, the two Sannins had somewhat of a soft spot for Sakumo's brat.

Tsunade let out a resigned sigh, and Jiraiya knew she had come to same conclusion as he had. Damn Brat.

"Very well, Kakashi. I will give Remus Lupin a trial before the Counsel and he will be given his wand back. But if he tries anything funny, he will either be hauled right off to the Torture and Interrogation squad or killed on the spot, got that?"

Knowing he wouldn't get a better offer than that, Kakashi nodded, smiling with his eye. "Crystal."

Running a hand through her hand, Tsunade let out a frustrated sigh. "The Elders aren't going to like this."

Kakashi tilted his head to the side, giving the Hokage a sly look. "And since when do the two of you really care what the Elders think?"

Jiraiya gave a wry smile at that, the first true smile in days. "Good point Brat, good point."

00000

Remus didn't know what to think anymore. He had been kept in a cell, sedated, for an unknown numbers of days, guarded by at least four persons at all times. Despite being barely conscious most of the time, his sense of smell had detected sixteen or so different scents, rotating in their shifts. But something good had come out of being sedated. For starters, his body had rested better than it had in ages, enabling to regain his strength. Not only that, but it seemed that some brave healer, or someone else with knowledge of medicine and healing, had patched up his wounds and removed the poison from his system. Moreover, the healer must have tried mending his eye, for it was barely causing him any pain, just a dull throbbing. But as he had figured back then, the damage was too severe. His eye couldn't be saved.

If that wasn't bad enough, Moony had been unusually smug and quiet.

And he was grateful for being healed, but he could do without being woken up the way he had. A man with dull blond hair in a ponytail and dark bluish-green eyes looming over him, and a hand on his forehead. Needless to say, Remus hadn't been pleased, and as he didn't know exactly where he was, he reacted on solely instinct and he grabbed the wrist of the offending person, ready to crush the bones. It was then he had noticed the insignia on the headband, but then he was robbed of consciousness once again.

When he woke up again, two of the mask wearing guards blindfolded and led him, none too gently for one who wasn't resisting, to another location.

As it turned out, the guards had led him to some sort of court room where Remus now found himself kneeling on both knees in front of a long table, the guards standing on each their side of him. Sure, with their masks on and one hand on his shoulders while the other grabbed the swords on their backs, they were making him nervous. Still, the people behind the table who was now watching him was making him even more nervous than any mask wearing soldier ever could.

The stands behind him were filled with ninja and civilians. One ninja in what Remus had come to identify as the standard uniform with a scar across the bridge of his nose and brown hair set up in a ponytail was talking to some kids, probably lecturing them or something. Despite not having the Translation spell on him, Remus was able to able to understand a few words.

"Clan Heads… Elders… Hokage-sama… High Council… trial."

Remus internally sighed. He figured as much. Concentrating a bit harder, to tune out the other chatter, Lupin stretched his ears to listen in on the teaching ninja. He picked up some names.

"From left to right: Head of the Akimichi Clan, Chouza-san… Head of the Yamanaka Clan, Inoichi… Nara Clan, Shikaku… Elder Homaru-sama… middle Hokage-sama… Elder Koharu… Uchiha Clan… Head of Hyuuga Clan, Hiashi-san… Aburame Clan, Shibi-san. Lastly, Head of the Inuzuka Clan, Tsume-san."

'So these are the clan leaders? Uchiha? Sasuke and Itacho… no, Itachi Uchiha? Well, both of them are not in town so that explains the empty seat. But I wonder who will take the seat between the shadow magic user and the old man with the glasses.'

Indeed, there was an empty seat between Shikaku and Elder Homaru. On the banner behind the chair was what had to be a crest of some sort: A sphere with two semicircles of asymmetric triangles, one below and one above it. The semicircle below the sphere consisted of eight triangle while the one above was composed of ten. The four triangles in the ends were around twice as long as the others. All in all, Remus was mildly curious about what clan that crest belonged to. And one of the kids was apparently wondering the same thing.

"Iruka-sensei, what clan… circle and triangles?"

Although he didn't hear the full sentence, Remus understood the question and barely suppressed the smile at the suffix. Go figure the man was a teacher and not really scolding the children for making a ruckus. But his lapse in concentration made him miss most of Iruka's answer.

"Sphere is the moon… white chakra… triangles… teeth… wolf."

But Iruka didn't say more and everything quieted down. Confused, Remus looked around, wincing as his guards dug their fingers into his shoulders. At first he thought it was some of the unseen guards along the walls. They could make themselves invisible, but not erase their scent completely, though they had almost impossible to sniff out. If it hadn't been for the fact he was led he before all the audience arrived, Remus didn't think he would have detected them at all.

Lupin wasn't sure what to think of the extra guards. Honoured that they considered him dangerous or powerful enough to be kept under heavy guard or annoyed at their stupidity. He had been drugged and hadn't made a move that even suggested an attempt at escaping, yet there were at least ten soldiers ready to stop him should he make any funny move. Of course he had considered that it might be a precaution in case some allies of his, whoever that would be, would try freeing him or an attack on Tsunade. He doubted even more that it was the latter. From what he had learned of this world, you didn't become leader unless you were strong, so he doubted Tsunade needed much protection. As for the audience… it made him wonder if this was how some of the people sentenced to Azkaban felt.

But he was getting sidetracked from his original task: Finding out why the room had gone so quiet. When he found the reason, he started wondering if Orochimaru had damaged his other eye as well. The chair in front of the clan crest that Iruka had just explained had been unoccupied moments before, but now it was occupied by a relatively old man. Or at least, old by their standards.

His hair was dark-brown or black, with bandages wrapped around his head and covering his right eye. He seemed to have some trouble with his right arm as well. The last significant was the scar on his chin. And for some reason, Tsunade seemed rather displeased with the elder man sitting on that particular spot, although the man seemed rather oblivious to that fact.

Glancing to the left, Lupin felt an odd lump form in his throat. There, on a table, were the sword he had taken from Orochimaru and his bloody and tattered Akatsuki cloak. Combine that with the ring on his finger, the evidence against him was overwhelming, so chances for going free was far south of zero.

Turning his head to his right, Lupin felt his heart skip several beats. Sitting by a table were Jiraiya, Naruto and Kakashi. Jiraiya was glaring at him and he could the elder man's jaw clenching. Naruto was sitting between the two men, and Remus felt his heart break. The Naruto that departed on the mission was loud and mischievous, but now he looked like… Remus didn't know what he looked like. He was clearly uncomfortable with being here, as his kept looking left and right and over his shoulders. But then his eyes settled on Lupin and Remus couldn't help but feel happy for the angry look he was receiving; the boy hadn't been broken completely. Not that it helped him, but Remus didn't even want to think about the torture the boy and his teacher might have been subjected to. He knew of what Bellatrix had done to Frank and Alice Longbottom, and he had the feeling that Orochimaru was no better than her or Voldemort in that department. Still, he wondered why Bellatrix would join Orochimaru, aside from the similarities he had to Voldemort. Of course she was insane enough to join only for that reason, but Lupin was sure she had other motives as well.

He pushed those thoughts aside for a later time, assuming of course he survived this, and started focusing on the present, although he gave Kakashi a longer look. The silver-haired man was in hospital garbs too, though he had cloak over his shoulders and, to Remus' surprise and slight bemusement, a cloth mask obscuring the lower part of his face. Of course, the mask made it completely impossible for Lupin to interpret the other man's emotions and thoughts. Kakashi's mask hid his facial expressions; and the cloak camouflaged the position of his shoulders. That left the eyes, but seeing how his left eye was covered by his headband, only the right eye remained visible.

And the emotions that eye showed was most likely false. For who could be indifferent and bored during a trial? Especially after what happened last time they saw each other.

But Lupin soon got other things to think about. Yamato, despite wearing the same uniform as the guards approached, holding Remus' wand.

'What? They are giving me back my wand? A test, maybe? To see if I will kill them the moment it reaches my hand?'

Yamato stopped in front of him, before he pointed at Remus with a finger and then put the want to his throat, before moving the pointing finger to the lips of his mask. Remus nodded his understanding, despite the younger man hadn't said in anything. 'Use your wand to you can speak our language.'

Remus felt the warm tingling in his fingers as his hand was reunited with the wand's handle. Keeping an eye on Yamato, and noticing how the two guards tensed up, he put the wand to the side of his throat. "_Translator_. There"

Lupin didn't really take notice of the surprised gasps from the audience or the slight frowning of all the judges. All he took notice of was how fast Yamato was to snatch away the wand once he uttered the last word, and he fought down the growl of displeasure that almost pushed past his lips.

"It's not like I can do much in this position, Ya…"

He was cut off by a quick punch to the jaw from the guard on his right. Glaring up at the offending guard, he noticed out of the corner of his eye how both Tsunade and Jiraiya seemed surprised he had been about to say Yamato's name. Then again, like the Death Eaters, they wore masks to protect their identity.

"You have one bloody way to say things, I will give you that much. But I get the message"

"You are not in any position to make jokes."

Remus turned his head in the direction of Tsunade and bowed his head. "My apologies. But where I'm from, civilized people don't hit each other just to say keep quiet. Exception being good friends."

Tsunade glanced at Kakashi out of the corner of her eye. To her Remus was admitting he was a spy, but Kakashi seemed rather unfazed. Her eyes narrowed as she turned to Lupin once more.

"Now that we have verified you speak our language, then you can answer this next: Who sent you?"

Remus raised his eyebrow in confusion. "Sent me? I'm sorry Lady Tsunade, but I'm not quite sure I follow you."

'_Idiot.'_

Remus ignored the jab from Moony as the head of the Inuzuka spoke up. "Which country or Village are you a spy for?"

Remus' eye widened. They thought he was a spy?

'_No shit Sherlock. Took you long enough to figure that out._"

'Shut up Moony.'

Remus wanted to explain, but how does one explain you are from a different world? He settled for a partial truth. "I'm not from around here. But I can assure you I did not come here to spy, for I have no idea how to get a message home. As a matter of fact, I have no idea how to get home."

The old man with the bandages spoke up, his voice scathing. "And you expect us to believe that?"

The old man with the glasses nodded his agreement. "Well spoken, Danzou. Moreover, from all we know, you could have been faking not being able to understand our language."

Then the woman on Tsunade's left put in her two cents. "Not only that, but you use a strange weapon. A weapon that wields considerable power. How can we be sure you are not the vanguard sent to test it against us?"

Lupin closed his eye and let out a sigh, although he had to bite down the laugh. This was ridiculous, but he was not about that to say it outright. Instead he prayed for patience and mumbled something under his breath. Unfortunately, not low enough.

Tsunade heard Remus whispering something, and it didn't ease her rising ire. "Speak up if you have something to defend yourself with, Remus-san!"

Remus opened his eye and met the gazes of first Tsunade, the Advisors and Danzou. Taking a deep breath, Remus spoke loud and clear. "Two of my friend said this when faced with homework: Why study? The more I study, the more I know. The more I know, the more I forget. The more I forget, the less I know. So why study. It seems it applies to some of you."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, and so did the Elders. "Meaning what exactly?"

Remus smiled an innocent smile, some of his marauding mood coming to the surface. If they were going to execute him, he would at least have some last fun. "Where I'm from, people study through the ages to become wiser. But when they reach old age, they have usually forgotten what it means to be young. I have no doubt that you, Tsunade, and your seniors are well-educated and have learned much through your lifetime; both from you have seen with your own eyes and what you have been told. But it would seem that in your eagerness to gain knowledge threw away the thing called common sense."

Remus noticed how Kakashi had to cover up his laugh by a cough and snort. The Elders and Tsunade, however, didn't think it was funny.

"Why you…!"

Tsunade cut across Koharu. "Such a remark is ill-advised, Remus-san."

Lupin merely nodded. "True. But true nonetheless." Seeing the angry looks Koharu and Homaru was giving him, he continued.

"As a spy, you need to know about history and culture of the ones you wish to infiltrate. You could have asked me any question concerning the history of your village and I wouldn't have been able to answer it. I have no idea how old this village is, but a rough guess would be 150 years. I have no idea what clan is the strongest, nor do I know what the name of the First Hokage is. Or Second or Third. All I know about this place is what I have seen with my own eyes or been told by others."

Remus noticed his words seemed to seep in with Shikaku, so he continued. "You fear I want to test my wands powers at you and you call it a new weapon. Where I'm from, wands have been made for centuries. And believe me, if I had been out for blood of anyone in this village, you would be wondering what was used for the murder. You see, the Killing Curse doesn't leave any visible marks. There is one exception, and that was only because of exceptional circumstances."

Koharu narrowed her eyes. "And those would be?"

Remus smiled. "You wouldn't understand even if I tried to explain it."

Shikaku decided to speak up before things could escalate. "Assuming you are in fact speaking the truth, then: What do you know about the Akatsuki? You were seen wearing the cloak of an Akatsuki member and the ring."

Remus turned his head and met the gaze of the Nara Clan leader. "I'm not a member of Akatsuki. The cloak and ring was something I got from a ninja named Kisame, who I enlisted to aid me in rescuing Kakashi and Naruto. As it turned out, he planned to kill if I by any chance should survive that underground base of Orochimaru's."

When he uttered Orochimaru's name, Remus got a chain of reactions. Frightened and startled gasps from the stands, several curses from the two ninja on his sides although they were barely whispers, and narrowed eyes from the judges.

Danzou recovered first. "And what would your connection to Orochimaru be?" Then he pointed at the sword. "Do you know what that is?"

Remus was starting to dislike the one-eyed old man a lot. Not only that, but he was getting sick and tired of this world, so his patience was wearing thin.

"It looks like a sword to me, but I could be wrong." He continued before the judges could say anything about it. "As for my connection to Orochimaru: He was the one that cost me my left eye, so I will say that he is my enemy. And considering I shoved that sword over there through his chest, my guess is that the feeling is mutual."

Mutters of outrage and disbelieve went through the audience. The Clan Heads and Hokage looked surprised while the Elders looked suspicious. Danzou had no trouble voicing that.

"And you expect us to believe that a weakling like you disarmed Orochimaru and pierced him with his own sword? Orochimaru who is one of the most powerful shinobi this village has ever produced?"

Lupin's eye widened in shock. But then he narrowed it at the elder man, mostly due to rising anger. "And how was I supposed to know that? No one told me that little bit of information before now. Just like I didn't know what the Akatsuki's uniform looked like."

"What? You have never heard of Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin of the Leaf?"

Lupin turned to look at the woman on Tsunade's far right, and couldn't help a slight frown from creeping over his face. The woman had a very strong scent of dog lingering around her. And now that he focused a bit on the Clan Heads, Lupin could hear something that sounded strangely familiar from when they started cleaning out Grimauld Place a few years ago. He took a deep breath, willing the emotions and thoughts rising back down. Thinking of Sirius, James, Lily, Harry and his friends, Tonks and Teddy would do him no good. Although he found it strangely funny that a single house could bring up so many thoughts and emotions.

When he spoke, his voice was relatively calm. "No, I haven't. And after meeting him, I'm not sure I would have wanted to."

A contemplative look settled on the Clan Heads' faces, clearly weighing whether or not they believed him. But the Elders weren't convinced yet, and Danzou, much to Lupin's chagrin, voiced his opinion.

"Bring in Ibiki, Tsunade-hime. Let's find out whether or not this man is guilty of espionage."

The Clan Heads and Advisors nodded their agreement, making Tsunade let out a long sigh and cast a glance at Kakashi who seemed a bit tense. "Cougar, fetch Ibiki."

'Ibiki? A truth serum perhaps?'

'_I don't know. But I have my doubts._'

Remus noticed how the air shifted from somewhere on his right and he figured one of the unseen guards had left. Barely five minutes later, and Remus thought for a moment Mad-Eye Moody had stepped into the room. But then he remembered where he was and that Mad-Eye was dead. Narrowing his eye slightly, he took in the appearance of the man.

'Well, his amount of scars matches that of Moody and probably mine. His eyes… both normal, unlike Moody. Taller than me and Kakashi. Black leather jacket, good for hiding weapons. Hands in pockets… he is confident and knows that I'm on his turf. An interrogator if I ever saw one.'

Ibiki watched the man between the ANBU with hidden interest. 'So this is the guy that gave Inoichi trouble and repelled his mind jutsu? Interesting. He doesn't look like he will last long, but one should never judge a book by its cover.

"Do you know who I am?"

Remus simply looked up at him, a faint smile ghosting over his lips. "You are Ibiki. You remind me someone I knew. But other than that, I don't know you."

Ibiki felt his curiosity rise. Like most shinobi of the Hidden Leaf, he was very modest about his abilities, but he was very well aware of his reputation in the shinobi villages. So having a man who showed no sign of lying say that he didn't know him or of him was mildly surprising. 'Perhaps this will be more interesting than I originally thought.'

"I'm Ibiki Morino, Head of the Torture and Interrogation Force. I'm here because you aren't being cooperative and telling the truth. You are accused of espionage and high treachery, so saying the truth would be in your own interest. Isn't that true?"

Ibiki watched with mounting interest as the man in front of him met his gaze. "To be a traitor, you have to have betrayed or turned against what you once believed in or who you was once loyal to. To be loyal to something means you belong to the community. I was never part of Konoha, so how can I be a traitor to Konoha? If I am a traitor to anything or anyone here, it would be myself, seeing how I have more or less turned against my own belief of killing being wrong." Another ghost of a smile crept over his lips. "And saying 'truth' two times followed by 'true' isn't going to work. I won't fall for simple mind tricks."

Ibiki tilted his head, his face not showing any of the surprise and growing curiosity he felt. A ninja that was against killing, even an enemy? This Remus guy was a strange fellow. And smart too. Many would simply say yes or no after that little round. This interrogation was turning most interesting as Ibiki was starting to see Lupin as a challenge. And it had been awhile since Ibiki had had one of those.

His voice calm and still not giving any of his private thoughts away, Ibiki continued, keeping a constant lookout for any trace of lie.

"And what about the accusation of espionage? Are you a spy? Are you telling the truth?"

Once again, he was met by a calm eye. "I'm not a spy." It happened so fast that even Ibiki's trained eyes barely saw it; tightening around the mouth, hands clenching, a shadow passing over his face. "And I'm telling the truth."

Ibiki frowned. He knew Remus wasn't telling the truth, at least not the full. He was withholding something. And Ibiki would find out what.

"You are not being truthful. Tell me, how do you feel in my presence? Afraid?"

Remus gave a slight frown, contemplating his answer. How did he feel in Ibiki's presence? Uncomfortable and nervous, yes, but far from frightened. "Not afraid, no. But I won't deny I feel uncomfortable. Then again, that could be due to my current position."

Ibiki suppressed a smirk. He had been prepared for such a response by the other man, considering how he almost been able to read the man's thoughts through looking him in the eye.

"I see. In that case, if I were you, I would start telling the whole truth. Otherwise, I might have to make you fear me. I will put you through pain and suffering that you can't even begin to phantom."

Ibiki allowed a smile to creep over his lips. That should do it, a last push and the man before him would start telling everything he was keeping from them. His silence was a proof for that. But then…

"Ha… haha… hahaha…. Ahahahahahahaha!"

Ibiki stared at the laughing man kneeling between the two ANBU. No one had ever dared laugh after such a threat made by him. But another thing that surprised Konoha's top interrogator was the nature of the laugh. Not mocking, not filled with glee. It was completely mirthless and belonged to an insane person.

Lupin laughed for almost one minute, right till the moment the ANBU on his left hit him, while the other tightened his hold on the man's shoulder, fingers digging into his skin. And even then, he still chuckled. Ibiki gave Remus a frown before speaking in an ice cold voice.

"It would appear you aren't in your right mind. That, or you didn't hear me…"

"I heard you perfectly, Morino. Don't think for a second I didn't."

Ibiki narrowed his eyes. When the accused started laughing, his eye had closed. But now, it was glowing brightly amber that held nothing else but anger and blood thirst. Ibiki watched as Remus turned his head slightly before looking at the hand on his right and giving the hand's owner a very pointed look. Ibiki had no doubt what that look meant: Get your hand off, or I will remove it for you.

And it would seem the ANBU got the hint as well, for he lessened his hold considerably. Remus turned his gaze to Ibiki, and the leader of T&I found it interesting how the eye no longer glowed quite as brightly, but remained its hard glare. And when Lupin spoke again, his voice was as hard and cold as steel.

"I very much doubt you can teach me anything about pain and suffering, be it physically or mentally."

Okay, Ibiki wasn't expecting that. "Really now? Care to enlighten us?"

Remus smiled a grim smile. He had never imagined he would be telling these strangers about his past. But as it was, he was sick and tired of this world. Add to the mental stress he had been under for the last year and the distress coming from the realization that he would probably never see his son or wife again, or any of the people precious to him for that matter, and the taxing fight to keep Moony in check, Remus was simply beyond caring.

"Alright. I will tell you about my pain and suffering."

End chapter 19

AN:

Sigh. So much for my planning. This and next chapter was originally planned to be one, but then I discovered that I had written over 23 pages, I decided to divide it in two. I expect next chapter will be up within two weeks.

Order of the 'judges'

Akimichi - Yamanaka – Nara – Hatake (Danzou) – Homura – Tsunade – Koharu – Uchiha (empty) – Hyuuga – Aburame – Inuzuka.

18


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Lives in Pieces. Kakashi's Last Resort!

-Lupin Cottage, Wales, June 15-

Harry sighed as he stepped into the hall. The last month he had pretty much done nothing but attend funerals. And now, he was standing outside the home of his favourite professor and last link to his parents. The cottage was small, even by wizard standards. From the hall Harry could see right into the kitchen and glimpse some of the living room.

Harry knew it was going to be hard going through Remus' stuff, but he would not have anyone else do it. Harry felt that it was only right that he, as the closest thing to Remus' old friends, it would be most fitting that he should go through his things. Besides, he had already been through Sirius's.

Remus had been declared officially dead the day before as was procedure with mysterious and unexplainable disappearances.

"Harry? Are you alright?"

Glancing over his shoulder, he smiled at Ron and Hermione. Both had come with him without him asking. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just… strange you know. I had always figured I would be going through this with Teddy many years from now. " He took a deep breath, steeling himself. "Let's get to it."

He had barely taken a step before… "Yeeeooowch!"

Spinning on his heel and drawing his wand, Harry gave his best friend a strange look as the redhead was hopping up and down. "Ron? What in Merlin's…"

"First day in the summer I choose to wear sandals… mouse trap…"

Hermione tried to hide her giggles, but she failed. "Honestly Ronald… look where you are going."

Harry didn't even try to hide his laugh as he teased Ron. "With feet that size it hardly matter."

Ron simply made a rude hand-gesture at Harry before turning pathetic looking eyes at his girlfriend. Giggling again, Hermione gave him a quick kiss. "Poor Ronniekins."

Still smiling, Harry turned again, right into the doorframe. "Ouch. What the… I could have sworn I would right through."

Ron smirked. "What's wrong Harry? Need to clean your glasses?"

Rubbing his sore forehead, Harry gave a small smile. "Guess I deserved that."

With that they walked into the kitchen. It was small and simple, with only the absolute necessities. The living room was no different. A couple of worn but comfortable chairs and a matching couch. In the far corner was a staircase leading upwards, and beside it was a book case and in the corner next the book case was a heavy oak door. Glancing at each other, the teenagers walked towards the door.

But as they were halfway there, the Golden Trio felt their feet vanish under them and they fell hard on their backs. Groaning they stood up and they soon found the reason for their fall: A huge old rug was lying in a mess one foot away.

"Bloody rug… what in Merlin's baggy pants…"

Hermione, however, frowned as she cut across Ron's mutterings. "Weird. I could have sworn the rug wasn't there before."

Harry shook his head. "No, it was there. But I'm not sure about the mouse trap."

Nodding, they continued towards the door and moved to open it. At first, it didn't budge, but when it did, it came up with such force that it caused Ron to take a few steps backwards, who in turned bumped into Hermione, sending her into the book case. They heard the sound of small things tilting from somewhere above them. Looking up, Hermione's eyes went wide.

"Oh come on, you've got to be kidding me! Spell resistant…!"

SPLASH.

In the next moment, Hermione was covered in ink in three or four different colours and it took all of the willpower of the two boys not to laugh. Although Hermione's glare in their direction had something to say as well.

Harry returned his focus on the now opened door, just to find himself wishing he hadn't. The inside of the door was filled with long steel spikes, all of them tainted a foul red by what could only be blood, indicating they were there to keep something in. And Harry felt a knot in his stomach when he seconds later realized just what those spikes kept in: Remus in his werewolf form. This was the basement Remus had locked himself in for years. Something that was only confirmed when Harry took a few steps down the stairs the door had concealed and saw the cage that obviously had been fixed a couple of times.

"Harry, let's move upstairs. I doubt Professor Lupin would have personal stuff down there."

Harry just nodded absentmindedly. He certainly didn't want to be in a room where Remus had spent hours in pain. And going from the dried blood on the spikes, Remus had tried getting out at least once.

One almost-fall later, the three teenagers looked around. There were four doors, one to the left, and two in front of them and one on their right. Shrugging, Ron opened the one on their left. It was the bathroom, and it clearly hadn't been used for some time. Hermione opened the door on the right and let out a combination of gasp and squeal and hurried inside, causing Ron to let out a small groan.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, Hermione. It is just books."

Hermione turned to look at her boyfriend, clearly appalled. "Just books? Ron, some of those are extremely rare." She frowned as she ran her fingers over some of the books, the boys following her somewhat reluctantly. "And dark too. Blood Magic Through The Ages, Blood Magic And Its Uses, The Dark Arts And Their Legacies, Incantations And Rituals Of The East And West. None of these can be found in Hogwarts Library, not even in the restricted section."

Harry stood beside the girl of the trio, not really believing that Remus would be the owner of such books. He was certain Hermione was right in her estimation, but he couldn't even begin to fathom what Remus would want with the heavy tomes. He might have been the DADA Professor, but this was going fairly beyond curriculum.

Ron whistled lowly, seemingly in awe he skimmed some of the book titles. "Some of these books cost a fortune, 500-1,000 Galleons each, and that is on the black market. I heard Fletcher moaning and groaning about it to George and…"

He trailed off, and both Hermione and Harry lowered their heads, tears threatening to spill. Even today, Harry had a hard time seeing the meaning of the deaths of those whom gave their life that night in May and throughout the entire war. And while others told him they died for a better future, Harry couldn't see it.

But his line of thought was cut short as Hermione tried pulling out The Dark Arts and Their Legacies. Well, she succeeded in pulling out the heavy tome alright. Unfortunately, a dozen others followed suit from the top shelf, hitting all three of them, knocking them to the ground. Massaging his head where he felt at least three bumps forming, Harry got up and helped his friends, beginning to wonder if he had pissed on some god recently.

"Are you guys alright?"

Ron grumbled as he too massaged his scalp. "Yeah, somehow. Honestly Hermione, your love for books hurts."

"Ha-ha. Owww… my head hurts."

Harry chuckled at that. "Welcome to our world Hermione. Let's get out of here; I'm starting to think those accidents we have had might be a bit more than that."

Hermione shook her head. "It will be easier if we split up."

The boys nodded and walked out, but couldn't help the smile as they saw Hermione pull out her wand and casting a few trap-detecting and shielding spells. Ron chose the door closest to the bathroom, casting a few protective charms as well. Harry managed a glimpse of a single bed and dusty old desk.

Casting a few detecting charms on the door, Harry frowned slightly nothing hidden was revealed. Taking a deep breath, the young Potter opened the door and his breath hitched: It was the master bedroom, a closet on the double bed's left and a crib on its right with matching nightstands and a small book shelf with several books above the crib. Walking closer, Harry realized they were children books, photo albums and a few novels such as Oliver Twist and some other works Harry didn't know.

Glancing down in the crib, Harry's breath caught in his throat and he reached down with a shaking hand.

His target: A small fluffy wolf with a blue ribbon around its neck with a note attached. But when he picked it up, he almost dropped it again as the cuddly toy came to life and licked his hand. Stroking its fur absently, Harry read the note.

"To Harry, from Moony."

Feeling a rush of emotion welling up, Harry gently placed the toy wolf in his pocket where it curled up to sleep, and Harry carefully grabbed one of the photo albums, no longer caring about weird accidents. Surprisingly none occurred and Harry sat down, skimming the album. It showed a young Remus with his parents in the living room, playing games, reading books.

Then, he came to Remus school years, and Harry couldn't help a small smile as he watched how the Marauders and his mother changed through the years, they all looked so carefree. But despite their smiles, Harry noticed a few things. Despite his laughter, Sirius' eyes held an edge of anger and bitterness in them. That wasn't a mystery, considering what Sirius thought of his family. No, what puzzled Harry were the haunted look Remus' eyes held from when he was in what appeared to be his fourth year. At first, Harry thought it was due to his lycanthropy. But then he frowned. That couldn't be the reason, for in Lupin's early years, the haunted look wasn't there.

"What could have caused… hmm? What is this?"

A picture had fallen out of the album, and when he picked it up and got a look at it, the black-haired teenager's eyes went wide.

A young Remus stood with a young woman and two kids that looked to be twins. The girl was the spitting image of her mother with long curly black hair and brown eyes with a kind smile while the boy had brown eyes and hair and was quite tall one who looked to be around three.

He didn't have much time to wonder who the woman and children were however, as he heard voices downstairs. Drawing his wand, and putting the photo in his pocket, he exited the bedroom just as Hermione and Ron emerged too.

"Those booby-traps… even after all this time they are still effective."

"What did you expect Poppy? They called him a Ravenclaw in disguise. He had to hide it most of the time, but he was a genius. Don't you remember the prank they pulled in their third year? They made all the teachers' chairs and some of the benches shout out profanities when we sat down."

Harry smiled; he would recognize Minerva McGonagall's voice anywhere considering he had heard it many times with different emotions and levels of volume. Looking at the others, he nodded before calling out.

"Up here Professor!"

A few seconds later, Harry watched his Head of House appear at the bottom of the stairs accompanied by the school nurse, Madam Pomfrey, both waving their wands and muttering incantations as they went. When they reached the teenagers Minerva shook her head while Poppy allowed a small smile

"Tsk tsk. Got your fair share of booby-traps."

The Golden Trio looked at each other, then at the two witches. Harry spoke what was on their minds. "Booby-traps, Professor? Sorry, I'm not quite sure I follow."

Madam Pomfrey's smile only grew. "It would be small and innocent things, appearing to be accidents. For instance, rugs making you fall, books falling from their places."

All three teenagers grumbled. None of them found the small accidents innocent. They hurt like hell. But then Hermione frowned.

"But Madam Pomfrey, none of the booby-traps stopped us from going in and finding personal stuff."

Madam Pomfrey only chuckled a little. "My dear girl, you don't know Remus like I did. Remus didn't design those booby-traps to kill or main somebody. Rather to drive intruders insane and make them rather jumpy, hoping to make them leave before they could get too far in their snooping. Problem is just that the booby-trap spell, in lack of better words, are linked to some of the wards placed upon the house. Once you leave, the wards will recognize you as victims of the booby-traps and will keep you out. I believe it was a spell Remus used in his second year to keep his curious dorm-mates from his books, with small altercations, and later he developed it to the version you have had a taste of."

Minerva nodded but let out a sad sigh. "Shall we go downstairs? You can tell us what you have found so far. Afterwards, we will assist you in getting past some of the really bothersome traps." Her gaze shifted to Hermione. "I'm sorry Miss Granger, but that ink will have to be washed out by a normal bath. I hope you haven't tried removing it by magic?" Hermione shook her head. "Good, for if you try, the ink will only spread."

A few minutes later, the five was in the living room with some tea. The teenagers occupied the couch while McGonagall and Pomfrey made themselves comfortable in the chairs. Minerva spoke for both of them. "So? May we hear what you have found?"

They nodded. Hermione had found more rare books, but nothing of true personal interest. Ron had found more pictures of the Marauders and some old school notes. Then the, turn came to Harry.

"I found some pictures of Remus growing up and his Hogwarts days. I also found this little stuffed wolf. It was apparently a present to me from him."

Pomfrey smiled. "I remember that. According to your mother, you called it Howly as it would start howling whenever Remus was outside the door. You wouldn't sleep without it when you were a baby. I guess Hagrid or Albus salvaged it."

Harry felt his face heat up, if only slightly. But then a sad thought occurred to him: Howly would probably not howl again seeing how Remus was unlikely to return. Shaking his head, he put Howly back in his pocket and took up the photo.

"I also found this picture of Professor Lupin and his sister with her kids."

However, the reaction he got from the two elderly witches was not what he expected. Poppy's eyes went wide and Harry just managed to see the tears in them before the school nurse bolted from the living room. Minerva had gone deadly pale and she too had tears in her eyes and when she spoke, her voice was very weak.

"Oh sweet Merlin… Potter, that isn't… can't you see… don't you... how could you know though? It was before your time."

Harry frowned. He had never seen his Head of House in such a state before, not even when Dumbledore died. "Professor… those kids and the woman… who are they? Why did Madam Pomfrey run out like that?"

The Headmistress sniffed and wiped her eyes. It had been years since those persons had died. She knew she was revealing some of Remus' most private and sensitive secrets, but she had also come to know one thing about the three teenagers: once their curiosity had been piqued, they would start snooping around and wouldn't stop till they had solved the mystery. And Minerva McGonagall knew that if they looked hard enough, they would find old papers and would most likely end up with half-truths. No, it was better to tell them.

"Mr Potter… Mr Weasley… Miss Granger. What do the three of you know of Remus' past?"

Harry opened his mouth, but he quickly closed it again. It was sort of funny really. The only time he had heard Remus talk about his past was if it had anything to do with his childhood and school days, the first war… and even that was sparse. Shaking his head, he realized that he pretty much knew nothing of Remus' past, and he silently wondered why he had never bothered to ask or why Remus had never told him.

McGonagall nodded. "I suspected as much. Remus always kept his cards close." She sighed. "What I'm about to tell you is most likely some of Remus' most guarded secrets. I only know some of this because he himself told me. The same goes for Professor Dumbledore and Poppy."

Steeling herself and trying her best to push down the memories rising, the elderly witch looked all teenagers in the eye.

"As you know, Mr Lupin was bitten by Fenrir Greyback when he was very young. Remus himself probably didn't remember, but he was bitten when he was five years old. After stabilizing him, his parents immediately started talking to experts the area, desperately looking for a cure. One of the most commonly answers they got were that it would be best to end his suffering and remove the threat to society as they called it. Others were very sympathetic and did everything they could to help. But as you know, there is no cure to lycanthropy. But Remus' parents were adamant and persistent. Aside from doing their best to give Remus something close to a normal childhood, they started their own research."

Madam Pomfrey re-entered the living, eyes red and puffy from tears, carrying a tray with a pot and some cups. Despite not being in the mood for tea, Harry knew he would need something so he wouldn't interrupt his Head of House. And his friends seemed to be of the same thought, both accepting a steaming cup of tea. Harry took a sip, grateful for the calming effect. And after a few minutes of silence, McGonagall seemed to have regained enough composure to continue.

"When Remus went to Hogwarts, his parents were so desperate that they started searching for a cure in the Dark Arts, especially Blood Magic. Remus had no idea of this, and neither did we, till after his fourth year. From he started and till the summer of his fourth year, he was your average student. Doing his homework, getting a few detentions. Granted that he hid his true intelligence in tests and exams as to not come to the attention of the wrong people, only those who knew his secret could tell he wasn't just another student. But then… everything changed."

Harry felt a knot forming in his stomach as he looked at the Transfiguration teacher. Her face held deep sadness, and Harry felt like kicking himself. Of course telling them this must bring up some rather painful memories. "Professor, you don't have to…"

But McGonagall shook her head, wiping at her eyes. "Yes Harry, I have to. Otherwise you might end up with the wrong conclusions." She took a deep breath and continued, tears welling up once again.

"Remus' parents were murdered. He came home from his fourth year and found them in this very room, their blood forming a pool beneath them. And that was not the worst part."

Hermione gasped, hands going flying in front of her mouth. "What? How could that not be..."

McGonagall looked at her students, sadness in her eyes. All three of them looked like they were going to be sick, and she couldn't blame them the slightest. She vaguely remembered being sick herself all those years ago.

"They weren't dead when Remus found them. He held them as they passed away. According to the healer and Aurors that investigated the scene, Mr and Mrs Lupin had lost too much blood to be saved, even if Remus had somehow gotten them to St. Mungo's."

Hermione felt her tears welling up and she buried her head in Ron's shoulder that looked equally shaken. Harry felt ill to his core and had to fight down tears. So Remus had been orphaned by war as well. He allowed the cat Animagus to take some sips of her calming tea, refraining from asking a lot of questions. It would be inappropriate. However, it was Poppy who took up the narration.

"Remus pretty much raised himself after that. As it was, John and Nicoline didn't want him to become a subject of the Ministry, and to prevent that, they secretly emancipated him when he started school, making him an adult. Albus, Poppy and I helped him with the funeral and whatever we could, and what he allowed us to, which wasn't much. Mostly finances and stuff like that." She sighed. "Remus changed. He was no longer the shy and gentle boy most of the staff had come to adore. He pulled away from others, submerging himself into his studies, sitting out when his friends pulled pranks. Years later, we learned that he wasn't only doing his homework. He was developing powerful combat spells, one of them having the sound of a thunderclap upon contact. We were all worried for him. But then something wonderful happened."

Harry smiled a tight smile, hoping to convey some reassurance. Madam Pomfrey, however, was unable to continue. Sensing her distress, Minerva spoke up, finding it easier to continue now that she had started.

"He met a girl, Melissa Allison, a fifth year Ravenclaw, and a close friend of Lily. She was able to pull him away from his pursuit of revenge on those who killed his parents. He enjoyed the company of his friends and for months, they pulled some of the most spectacular pranks Hogwarts has ever seen. Singing toilets, glasses that screamed at you to brush your teeth every time one wanted to have a sip. They even turned a corridor into a jungle."

She chuckled fondly, reminiscing. Poppy took over for a bit. "Remus continued his research, but now with the intention to protect himself and those dear to him. In their sixth year, they fell in love. Melissa helped him through after Mr Black betrayed his secret to Severus and was the one that in the end made them reconcile. In their seventh year they got together as a couple and married each other one month after graduation."

Harry's eyes went wide. "So the woman… and those children… they are…"

Poppy nodded, a sad smile gracing her face. During his school years, Remus had been like a son to her. What, with his monthly visits for seven years, he became a favourite of hers. Seeing that picture brought up a lot of memories and she had fled the room because she thought she had moved on. Clearly, she had been wrong on that assumption. She knew the following would be hard to talk about, but she knew she had to do. Not just for the sake of the teenagers, but for hers as well.

"Yes. They were Melissa Lupin and their two children, Marc and Susie Lupin."

Hermione frowned, having caught on to Poppy's phrasing. "Were?"

Poppy remained silent and tears started flowing down her cheeks; she couldn't continue after all. Harry had a sinking feeling. "No… don't tell me…"

Minerva nodded, a few tears escaping her eyes. "Yes Mr Potter. On the night of July 31 1980, the night you were born, Melissa, Marc and Susie Lupin were murdered. Remus came home to tell his wife about James and Lily becoming parents themselves, only to find his children dead and his wife hanging out a window. And… and You-Know-Who was there together with some of his Death Eaters… lau… laughing." Taking a few shuddering breaths to compose herself, Minerva was oblivious to the shocked faces of her students and tears running down Poppy's and her own face. "Blinded by fury and grief, Remus attacked. He… he didn't just kill some of the Death Eaters… he slaughtered them. He even fought You-Know-Who. When the Order arrived at dawn… Remus held his family in his arms, the smoking ruins of what were once a happy home and the corpses of four Death Eaters behind him."

Harry was speechless. He had imagined many things of Remus' past, but what he had heard so far went far beyond that. He was so shocked to hear about the past pains of who he considered a mentor and close friend that he barely noticed the tears running from the eyes of his friends, nor did he pay any heed to his own moistening eyes.

"How… how did he move on from such…"

Minerva took a deep shuddering breath, willing herself to continue, finding little comfort in the fact that she was nearing the end of the tale.

"Remus started taking the most dangerous missions for the Order, trying to bury his grief. We all did our best to help him through his sorrow, be it economic or a place to sleep. But in the end, he still went. He monitored Fenrir Greyback's every move for over one year and we saw very little to him. October 1981 rolled around and Lily and James were going into hiding. They informed Remus of their plans, but..." She sighed. "They got into a fight. Remus didn't trust Mr Black. I don't think he ever truly got over Sirius betrayal. You can probably guess his logic: Sirius had already betrayed one secret. What guarantee did they have for him not being a spy? What guarantee did they have for him to not betray another?"

She shook her head and continued, not wanting the teenagers to interrupt. "James didn't take that well. He, like you Mr Potter, had quite the temper. He told him to stop being so distrusting of his friends and start to use that impressive mind of his on doing something right, such as figuring out who the spy was. Remus left with the words. _"Or maybe you are too trusting. I just hope, for the sake of your family, that that trust isn't misplaced."_ She let out a small sigh. "That was the last words Remus ever spoke to James and Lily. After their argument, he resumed his undercover mission and that was the last we heard from Remus for over one year." She paused and looked Harry straight in the eye, reading the disbelief and anger in those green orbs. "Do not think any less of your father or Remus, Harry. It was a time of war when no one knew who to trust, when emotions were running wild. According to Lily, James regretted his words the moment Remus had left. And Remus... he has never forgiven himself."

Harry simply nodded, throat tight and thoughts in turmoil. Hermione was in tears, crying into Ron's shoulder. The young redhead, however, frowned a little. "Hold on a minute. How come he didn't hear from Professor Lupin sooner? Why didn't he…"

"One does not just send an owl from Azkaban, Mr Weasley."

Harry's head snapped up, the nurse's words cutting through his fogged mind like a hot knife through butter. "Azkaban?"

Minerva nodded, face showing rising fury. "Yes, Mr Potter, Azkaban. Remus apparently returned to England in December 1981, but before he could make contact with the Order, he was arrested by Aurors and shipped off to Azkaban without a trial, suspected for complicity in the murder of James and Lily Potter and for being a Death Eater spy."

Harry shot up from the couch, anger written all over his face. "That's bull! How could anyone believe that about him? Death Eaters killed his family for crying out loud!"

McGonagall's face contorted and her mouth turned into a thin line. "Watch your language Mr Potter." Meeting the young man's gaze, the elderly witch waited till Harry had calmed down and muttered a low apology. Nodding her approval, she continued, although cold fury crept over her face. "I agree with you Mr Potter, it was inane to think that. However, you can probably guess the Ministry's logic: Five friends, three of them dead within twenty-four hours. One of the survivors were from a notorious dark family and Secret Keeper for two of the deceased, while the other had been missing for months and wouldn't tell where he had been or what he had been doing. Not only that, but word had reached Magical Law Enforcement of the fallout between Mr Lupin and the Potter's."

Harry fell silent, contemplating. Considering what happened to Sirius… well, it seemed like something Mr Crouch would do alright. Hermione, however, seemed to have calmed down.

"But Professor… how could Professor Lupin's lycanthropy go unnoticed while in Azkaban? Someone would have heard… the convicts or even the Dementors."

Madam Pomfrey shook her head, bitterness in her voice. "Why would the Dementors care about having a werewolf as prisoner? They have nothing to fear from the wolf. As for the prisoners: It is not like true Death Eaters to care about the pain of others. As for Mr Black… they were placed in cells too far away from each other. They wouldn't be able to communicate."

The Headmistress of Hogwarts nodded grimly. "Indeed. Do you have any more questions, or can I proceed?" The teenagers shook their heads, engrossed in their own thoughts but still paying rapt attention to the tale. "Very well. As I told you earlier, Remus was shipped off to Azkaban in 1981. In 1982, Auror, and soon to be Professor, Davey Gudgeon found Remus by sheer luck. Mr Gudgeon immediately contacted Professor Dumbledore and in December 1982 Remus was released after answering whether or not he was a Death Eater under Veritaserum. As the answer to that was no, they had no choice but to let him go."

Harry frowned slightly. "But couldn't they have questioned him further? And why didn't the Order help him out?"

Minerva nodded once, and when she spoke, they heard the regret in her voice. "Yes Mr Potter, they could, and would have interrogated him further, if not for Albus intervening. As for the Order not helping him…" She sighed. "Not many of us believed You-Know-Who was gone forever. And we all knew we would need a spy among the werewolves when he returned. If the Order members revealed what Remus had been doing, his cover would be blown and he would not be able to return."

Harry didn't like hearing it, but there was nothing he could do to change it. But then something occurred to him. "Wait. Wasn't Remus trying to convince the werewolves to join the Order?"

McGonagall nodded, face grim. "Yes Mr Potter. However, it soon became clear that the werewolves wouldn't join our cause. So instead, Remus provided us with vital information, some of it being from Greyback's inner circle; where Greyback and others would strike next for instance."

Harry simply nodded, still slightly overwhelmed "What happened next Professor?"

The Head of Gryffindor took a deep breath. "After his release from Azkaban, Remus spent the next six months recovering and fighting for guardianship of you. But in the end, he was denied custody. Not because of his lycanthropy. One of the most debated arguments was how he would pay for your needs. When that argument fell they…"

She trailed off, a look of total fury and outrage taking over. What gave Harry a slight shock, however, was that Poppy Pomfrey's usual gentle yet stern face matched the Head of Gryffindor House, eyes burning with untamed rage.

"They said that one who had spent a year in Azkaban would be mentally unfit to care for a child, scarred by the experience. If it wasn't enough that they never gave him a Knut in compensation or a pardon, they had to question his sanity."

McGonagall nodded, and her voice held venom that few had heard. "He should have been awarded Order of Merlin First Class, but he was met with scorn and ridicule." She took a few calming breaths. "That was the last straw for Remus. Consumed by sorrow and rage, he left England in the summer of 1983." She sighed. "Professor Dumbledore started searching for him the summer before the three of you started attending Hogwarts. As you know, he was unsuccessful. After the incident with the Philosopher's Stone, Albus resumed searching for Remus but once again, he didn't find him before a new term started. However, Albus had found his tracks in the northern part of Greenland. You all remember the farce with Lockhart teaching I'm sure." She took a sip of her tea, face scrunching up in disgust. It had turned cold. "In the summer of 1993, Sirius Black escaped Azkaban and Professor Dumbledore set out to track down Remus yet again, more desperate than ever. He knew Sirius' knowledge of Hogwarts and its grounds could probably only be matched by another Marauder. In late July or early August, Albus found Remus in Canada's wild."

She shook her head. Even to this day, it still amazed her that Remus had managed to stay hidden from Dumbledore for so long. Especially considering the fact that Remus hadn't made use of the Fidelius Charm and the number of spells the former Headmaster of Hogwarts had used to track the elusive werewolf.

"Remus was, according to Albus, far from happy about seeing him. At first he wanted to duel him, but when he heard of Sirius' escape, he was more than willing to return to England, to protect you from Sirius." She hesitated, meeting Harry's green gaze, fully knowing her next words were true but that Harry probably wouldn't believe her. "Mr Potter, as hard as this is to believe, I have no doubt in my mind that if Remus had met Sirius before learning the truth, he would most likely, if what Sirius told me about the encounter in the Shrieking Shack is any indication, have killed him on the spot."

Harry simply nodded, thoughts running hundreds of miles per hour.

22222

"And now I'm trapped here, without any prospect of going home to my son, wife and those dear to me any time soon, with people wanting to kill me. So forgive me if your threat of pain means nothing to me, Mr Morino."

Even Ibiki was shocked. He hadn't detected any sign of lie, which meant the story true or Remus was the best actor he had ever met. And if it was true, those Dementures or whatever they were called sounded terrible indeed. He vaguely wondered how effective their interrogations would be if they could threaten their captives with such creatures, but seeing how Lupin had explained they cared very little about allies or enemies, having them close probably wasn't the best of ideas.

His line of thought was cut off by Danzou cold voice. "And you think we are going to believe that tale of yours?"

Remus simply turned his gaze towards the Elder, and though it barely was concealed, one close enough could still see and hear the blood thirst in his single eye and in his voice. "Whether you believe me or not is up to you."

Before Danzou could come up with something more to say, Tsunade spoke up. "Ibiki, what is your judgement of his story?"

Turning to face the Hokage of Konoha, Ibiki spoke in a clear voice so that all could hear him. "I saw no sign of deception during his story. Not even a twitch of the mouth or eye. This leads me to believe his story might very well be true."

Tsunade frowned. That was interesting news. In that case, she wanted to know something else that had bothered her. "If your story indeed is true, then care to explain this: Why is it that you have two Chakra Networks? And why is that every time any medic, myself included, tried tending to your eye, your chakra pushed ours out? Like if it had a consciousness of its own, refusing to let us heal you?"

Ibiki watched intensely as Remus face scrunched up in a frown, clearly thinking about his answer.

11111

Remus was torn. He could tell every eye in the room was focused on him, making him very uncomfortable. And having just spent between thirty to sixty minutes telling them about his past from his parents' death to how he left England, with explaining what an Animagus and Dementors are, or at least the basics, he was exhausted. And now he had just been asked a question that he wasn't quite certain how to answer. He was fairly certain he knew the answer to the first and last question as the answers, most likely, was him being a werewolf. But why Moony wouldn't accept others trying to heal him when he had told him to get medical attention some nights prior was beyond him. Or rather, it wasn't completely. Moony was up to something, but for better or worse, only time would tell. If he lived that long, that is.

He sighed. He had feeling that Ibiki would see through any lie he tried coming up with. He might be able to suppress his emotions and school his facial expression into mask that hid his true thoughts, but Ibiki was close by and watching his every move, down to the slightest twitch of the corner of his mouth. He didn't really want to answer them, but unless they killed him, they would find out soon enough. He could feel Moony's rising lust for blood and his bones were already starting to ache. He opened his mouth, but then he hesitated. A lot of scents were missing. Strange, he hadn't noticed them leaving. Venturing a quick scan of the room, Remus observed that all of the kids had left. But if they had left willing or unwilling, he had no idea. Taking a deep breath, Remus knew it was time to confess.

"I'm a werewolf."

Silence. Then… "You are a what?"

Remus closed his eye. "A werewolf. Big and furry, lot of sharp teeth. Ring any bells?"

The High Council and the audience started murmuring, disbelief showing on their faces and in their voices. Clearly Remus was trying to pull their legs. Hiashi Hyuuga let out a snort, Shibi Aburame scoffed loudly, Chouza Akimichi simply stared at him, and Inoichi Yamanaka frowned slightly, remembering the encounter with the wolf inside Remus' mindscape all too well. Shikaku Nara narrowed his eyes slightly, contemplating while Tsunade and Tsume Inuzuka tilted their heads to the side. Tsume because she could smell something that resembled that of a wolf while Tsunade did because it was one of the stupidest things she had ever heard. Only the Elders were unfazed, and Homura was the first to speak.

"Such a thing does not exist."

"They do. Don't believe it? Then try locking yourself into a cage with one, old man."

Many heads turned to look at the blond youth between Jiraiya and Kakashi. Before Homura could recover from his shock, or anybody scold Naruto for his utmost disrespect, the Copy-Ninja decided it was time to start showing his hand and make a move for their first line of defence, the bishop.

"Honourable High Council, despite Naruto's lack of manners, he is right. Werewolves exist."

Tsunade turned her gaze towards one of her top soldiers. "Kakashi Hatake, explain how something from fairy tales can exist. If werewolves indeed existed, we would be aware of it."

Kakashi stood, voice calm, although on the inside he was running the different scenarios over. "I fought one alongside Kisame Hoshigaki of the Mist. It was powerful enough to force us on the retreat. None of us would have survived had we not worked together."

Koharu frowned, her disbelief evident. "Even if what you tell us about is true, it doesn't explain why we haven't heard anything about werewolves before. Or of people like him. Not even our spies in Cloud, Mist or Rock haven been able to tell us anything."

Kakashi resisted the urge to smirk. 'First card: Ace of clubs. There goes the bishop.' "Very little is known of the world when we go past the other countries' borders. Even they themselves know very little of what lies beyond. It is my estimation that Remus-san came here due to a jutsu backfiring."

He suppressed the temptation to smile. 'Bishop has been eliminated, and they are moving the knight into position.'

Homura spoke up next. "Assuming what you have said so far is true, we cannot let his actions go unpunished. According to Shikaku Nara, Shibi Aburame, Sakura Haruno, Tsume Inuzuka, Yamato and Jiraiya, he wore an Akatsuki cloak and was about to kill Naruto Uzumaki and yourself. Furthermore, we have no guarantee he was not send here on purpose to gather information on us."

Danzou nodded. "We cannot let a spy escape. Why shouldn't we kill him if we can't get him to talk?"

Kakashi pushed down a sigh. Why was he getting some sort of déjà vu? In any case, time to play the ace of diamonds. "Because no matter whether we like it or not, Naruto Uzumaki and I are in his debt. We owe him our lives."

Tsunade frowned. That was news to her. "Explain."

This time Kakashi let out a small sigh, as if he was getting tired of the situation. But on the inside, he was smirking. 'Say goodbye to your knight and, if I can manage it, your rook.'

Turning his one-eyed gazed, Kakashi met the curious, slightly confused eye of Remus Lupin. It wasn't that Kakashi trusted Remus or had forgiven him, but they needed every bit of information he could give them on werewolves and Bellatrix. Kakashi couldn't explain why, but his gut was telling him that the deranged woman had survived. And for his own sake, Kakashi needed to know what to expect come the full moon. But now he had to play this game of chess. Catching Ibiki's eye, both men made a silent agreement, and Ibiki moved so he could keep surveying Lupin's facial expressions as Kakashi started his interrogation.

"Remus Lupin, are you a spy?"

Remus looked Kakashi squarely in the eye. "No, I'm not."

"Have you ever had any intention to harm or kill any Leaf shinobi?"

"No."

'_But I have_.'

Kakashi tilted his slightly. He was sure Ibiki missed it, but it seemed as a yellow glow had briefly flashed in Lupin's eye. "Why did you accept the ring given to you by Kisame, held a kunai knife to Naruto's throat and threatened to crush my throat?"

Remus took a deep breath. He doubted they were going to believe him, but giving them an answer seemed like the best choice. "I could feel my strength leaving me. I would have been no match against Kisame Hoshigaki. I needed time to come up with a plan that could save not only myself, but the two of you as well. Him giving me the offer to join the Akatsuki gave me a few seconds, but it was not enough. When I accepted, he tossed me a knife. He had previously informed me that Akatsuki wanted the Naruto, although he didn't say his name directly, and you alive. Combining the knife he had just given me with that little information, I figured my best option would be a bluff. I took a gamble and he almost called me out on it. But in the end, he left and then Jiraiya and the others showed up."

Kakashi nodded. So it was as he suspected that night, at least according to Remus. Keeping that and the fact he had both him and Kisame fooled, at least for some time, the Copy-Ninja shifted his gaze towards Ibiki. "Ibiki?"

Ibiki simply nodded. "So far I have not observed anything that belies his words or suggest foul play."

Kakashi nodded his consent. That was his assessment as well, minus the yellow glow that seemed to have flickered in Lupin's one eye. Turning his head towards Remus again, he continued, hoping that the Council would move their rook into position. He had just taken their knight.

Kakashi simply turned his head and briefly met Tsunade's eyes. "May I proceed?"

Tsunade nodded, brow slightly furrowed and eyes narrowing. For some reason she was starting to think Kakashi was up to something. And a quick glance at Jiraiya and Shikaku told her they were having similar thoughts. Shikaku was smiling slightly; he was, without doubt, already seeing the result of Kakashi's strategy while Jiraiya's narrowed eyes said that he didn't exactly know what Kakashi was doing, but might be starting to have an idea to how this would end. Unfortunately, they couldn't communicate and if Shikaku could foil Kakashi's plan, he would have done so.

"You may."

Kakashi smiled slightly. 'Gotcha.' He looked at Remus again. "How often do you lose control of the demon inside sealed inside of you?"

Remus cocked an eyebrow. He, for the life of him, couldn't figure how Kakashi's mind worked right now. He never really considered Moony a demon in that sense, but he supposed that if that was the best way his 'relationship' with Moony was explained, he would go with it.

"On the nights of the full moon."

"And the fiery wolf that almost got me?"

Remus grimaced. He should have known that would be brought up. Looking at the expectant faces all around him, he bit his lip, wondering how to explain it. He went with a simple form of the truth. "At that time… I had held my demon suppressed for a long time. I suppose he just got excited at the prospect for a fight and I let my guard down, allowing him to take over."

Tsume Inuzuka was the first to speak up. "So in short, he is a sort of Jinchuuriki?" Kakashi simply nodded. "Even if all of the Bijuu are accounted for?"

Kakashi shrugged. "It would be more accurate to say that we have accounted for the Bijuu we know of. But we have no idea if there are more once we cross the borders of the Known World."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes further. "Why, Remus Lupin, did you not tell us about your condition before now?"

Turning his head, and suppressing the small wince at the use of condition, Lupin me Tsunade's hard gaze. "For the same reason you put me under surveillance back then: Distrust. Why should I trust you with one of my greatest secrets when you we wouldn't trust me with yours? Would even believe me if I did? And if you did, how would you react? I intended to tell Kakashi, as he was starting to earn my trust, once the full moon approached so you people could take precautions." He hesitated, and Tsunade could hear the ice cold anger in his voice and see fury in his eye.

"Where I'm from, werewolves are often treated with hatred and fear. Hated and feared for something we don't have control over. Hated and feared due to the ignorance and prejudice of the majority of the population. Ignorance and prejudice that have been passed down from generation to generation. I have even heard someone suggesting that laws you should be passed to make werewolf hunting legal like it was four-hundred years ago. Tell me, Hokage, right now, what makes you any different from the ones hating werewolves back where I'm from? How would you have reacted to me being a werewolf had I told you earlier? Would you act on ignorance and prejudice and scream for my blood to be spilled or would you bother to try to understand? Think about that before you judge and condemn me and my actions."

Koharu spoke up next. "I still don't see any reason as to why we should spare his life."

Homura nodded. "I agree. As touching as it is, he is still a danger to the village. There is no telling what will happen when the full moon rises or if he loses control again. Why shouldn't we eliminate that threat, Kakashi Hatake?"

Kakashi's eye narrowed as he met the gaze of the High Council. "Because we would be hypocrites if we did. Since when do we kill ninja for losing control once in a while? Not only that, but it would bring great disgrace upon myself and Naruto, and thus Konoha, should we not try to repay our debt to him. The village owe him our lives. What signals do you think it would send to our clients, and enemies, should rumour reach their ears that we do not uphold a code of honour? A code of honour that has existed since the days of the First Hokage? A code that clearly states that when a Konoha shinobi is saved by one that is not a Konoha shinobi and hasn't been proved to belong to a hostile or rival village, the Village of Konoha shall seek to repay that debt to the best of is capabilities?" He took a deep breath. "No matter what has happened before that, fact remains he put his life on the line to save Naruto Uzumaki and myself. Both from Orochimaru and Akatsuki. Only thing to do now, is to await your decision."

'Third ace, ace of spades. Goodbye rook. Check'

Tsunade had to stop herself from banging her head against the table, or more preferably: To walk over and throttle Kakashi, audience and consequences be damned as she had the feeling a big neon sign hang over head, spelling A-S-S. By the end of Kakashi's little speech, she had realized Kakashi's game. Her agreeing to the trial had only been the bait, and she had taken it hooked, line and sinker. They might have thought they had been in control, but in reality, Kakashi had been dragging them around the arena by their noses.

He had counted on them bringing in Ibiki to confirm whether or not Remus was telling the truth about his past and later to verify the truth of his own suspicions. And Ibiki had not found any sign of lie or deception, making their accusation of espionage invalid. He had then proceeded to nullify their reason to kill off Lupin for being dangerous if he should lose control. For he was right, they would be hypocrites if they did so. If they executed Lupin simply due to the potential danger he posed should he lose control of the beast within, shouldn't they execute Naruto as well for the same reason?

There was no way that was going to happen. Her own and Jiraiya's personal feelings for the boy aside, his age mates would not take it quietly, nor would their sensei. And once word of the death of the Leaf's Jinchuuriki reached other villages, they might get cocky and do something as radical as launching a full-out assault on them. Not to mention the wrath of the Fifth Kazekage would be terrible to behold and his retribution was sure to hit them hard and swift. Lastly was there his argument of them being in debt to Remus Lupin. Another point she couldn't fight.

And then there were Remus' words to her. How would she have reacted had he told her from the start? Would she have acted like she was now or would she have treated him the same as Naruto? Would she be crying for his blood or would she try to help him? The truth was, she simply didn't know.

She let eyes wander the room. Kakashi was looking at her with an expectant look on his face, although she could glimpse a twinkle in his eye and small crinkling of his mask, suggesting he was smirking. Besides him sat Naruto, eyes and body language conveying his emotions: Fear and shame. Where the shame came from, she wasn't sure, but the source of his fear was obvious: The High Council's decision would affect his fate as well. Next there was Jiraiya whom was staring from Tsunade to Kakashi, expression shifting from concerned, angry and gobsmacked. Like her, he had without a doubt realized Kakashi's plan as well, but he didn't like it.

Glancing at the audience, she was met with the sight of people holding their breath, awaiting the judgement of the High Council. Although ten faces, or rather eight and a half as it was impossible to tell with Shino and Hinata was far too shy and anxious, was glaring at her, daring her to pass out a sentence that would affect Naruto in a bad way. Sai was blankly looking at them, though with a small frown creasing his brow.

Looking to her left, she saw every Council member nod their heads in agreement with the conclusion she had come to, although they were clearly doing so with varying levels of difficulty. Looking to her right, she was greeted with five nods, and in Shikaku Nara's case, a smirk.

Finally her eyes landed on Remus Lupin, kneeling between two ANBU guards, ready to draw swords and carry out her order. He seemed to be accepting his death sentence, though his eye held anger, regret, contempt and pain. Clearing her throat, she spoke up.

"Remus Lupin, with the votes ten to zero, you are cleared of all charges. Moreover, you have our gratitude for saving the lives of two of our shinobi. I also deeply apologize for our treatment of you. Consider yourself as a guest of honour of the Leaf Village. If we can assist you in your endeavour in any way, let me know. And it is my hope that you day can forgive us and return home to your son and dear ones."

Remus let out a long sigh as surprise and relief flooded him. He wasn't afraid of death or of dying, but he didn't exactly want to die either. He needed to find a way home if it was possible, to be there for his son and wife. And although he wasn't completely sure about Kakashi's motives, the silver-haired man had saved his life. He clearly felt obliged to, but Remus' gut told him there was something more. Giving the guards a significant look, he stood up as they released their grip. Merlin it felt good to stretch his legs and getting the kinks out of his shoulders. Meeting the gaze of the Hokage, he spoke in a soft voice.

"Thank you, Lady Hokage. I will not lie and say that I forgive you and is going to forget this any time soon, but I can't say that I blame you completely. You did what you found was right, just like I did. It's my hope that we can earn the trust of each other someday and put all of this behind us. But right now, all I want to is have my wand back and rest." He bit his lip, considering his words carefully. "Do you think it would be possible for me to keep the Akatsuki cloak? I would like to remodel it to fit my needs."

Tsunade frowned. A strange request, but she doubted it meant anything. After all, if he was a member of Akatsuki, he wouldn't need to remodel it, would it. Giving a small nod, she spoke up. "The court is adjourned. Cougar, please escort Remus-san to Kakashi Hatake's apartment."

The ANBU in question nodded, but before he reached Remus, Kakashi cleared his throat.

Closing her eyes, Tsunade prayed whoever listening for strength and patience. "Yes, Kakashi?"

Smiling innocently, Kakashi continued spoke. "Aren't you forgetting something?" Upon seeing her confused look, he continued. "The Sword of Kusanagi. It belongs to Remus-san now and he should bring it with him."

Now that did not sit well with the Elders. But before they could protest, Kakashi simply crossed his arms, his voice casual. "It can be considered as spoils of war. According to the Second Hokage, spoils of war go to the one claiming it and it shall be passed down as an heirloom. That is Konoha Law number 32, passed in the 17th Year after Konoha's foundation."

There was no way around that one. And even if they should somehow get a new law passed tomorrow, it would not affect spoils of war and heirloom of older dates. And if as to prove his point, the Sword of Kusanagi morphed into snake and almost bit the ANBU reaching for it, before it slid over the floor and wrapped itself around Remus' arm. Lupin seemed unnerved by having a snake around his arm, but whether it was because it reminded him or Orochimaru or something else, Kakashi didn't know. But he other things to worry about.

'Now, High Council. Will you surrender and have a rematch later, or shall we settle this game now?"

In that moment Tsunade called out. "Kakashi Hatake, Naruto Uzumaki and Jiraiya. A moment, if you please."

Kakashi nodded. 'So we settle it now. Only question is how difficult you will make it for me.'

Once they were the only ones in the room, Tsunade beckoned them over and offered them glasses of water. Jiraiya accepted gratefully, a hand on Naruto's shoulder and sending glances in Kakashi's direction. Kakashi emptied his glass and had his mask back in place faster than the Clan Heads and Elders could move theirs to their lips. Taking a few grateful sips, Tsunade spoke up.

"Now that we have settled that affair, for now at least, we need to discuss something else." Her eyes got a sad look in them as she looked at the youngest person in the room. "Naruto, I'm sorry, but we are here to discuss your options."

Naruto frowned, clearly not following. "Options? What do you mean, Granny Tsunade?" His eyes widened in alarm as he thought back on the trial. "Are you going to execute me? I swear, I didn't mean to hurt Sakura-chan…!"

Tsunade shook her head. "Naruto, no one in this village is going to kill you. And I know you didn't mean to hurt Sakura on that mission." Her eyes softened and she took a deep breath, hating to be the one to bring the news. But as the Hokage, it was her duty. "Naruto, we are here to discuss your future and living arrangements. You cannot stay in that apartment any longer."

His eyes showed his confusion, and if one could see behind the bandages covering him, they would have found an even more confused face. "Why not Granny Tsunade?"

Had the situation not been as it was, Tsunade would have smacked Naruto. But the fact he kept calling a Granny was a good sign as far she was concerned, so she ignored the frowns of disapproval from the rest of the High Council; now to the difficult part.

"Naruto, during your capture by Orochimaru… he… he infected you with Chakra Cancer. Do you know of it?" Naruto shook his head, his gut starting to churn. He had a bad feeling about this. Tsunade continued, wondering why fate was so cruel. She had lost many of her loved ones and she was now the one to tell the second teenager that his dream would never come true. "Chakra Cancer is a disease that, if discovered in time, can be cured with a lot of bed rest. But yours are, by Orochimaru's doing, in a state that we call CCS4: Chakra Cancer, Stage Four. It in that stage your chakra and chakra network is being destroyed. Thanks to Neji Hyuuga, we managed to stop it from spreading to your right arm, thus preventing it to become CCS5 where the cancer starts spreading to your organs. There is no cure for Chakra Cancer. Combine that with the seals branded into your skin, it is beyond unlikely you will ever get to mould and wield chakra again. Naruto, you… you can't continue your career as a shinobi. I'm so, so sorry."

Naruto stared blankly at her, and all the two Sannins and Copy-Ninja held their breaths. Then a slow smile spread over Naruto's face. "Very good Granny Tsunade, you almost had me there. It was a cruel joke, but…"

"It isn't a joke, Naruto. Even if I remove and heal the seals branded into your skin, I can't get rid of the Chakra Cancer. We have medicine that can dull the pain and keep it in check, but it is no cure. Naruto? Talk to me, please."

Naruto couldn't believe his ears. Here he was, being told by woman he more or less considered his grandmother, strict as she was, that his dream of becoming the Hokage would never come true. It hurt beyond what he thought possible, like his heart had been ripped to pieces but kept beating. Everything he had worked for in the past had just become meaningless. The path he had chosen had brutally been removed from beneath his feet, and he was falling into the black emptiness that was left.

"But… but… no, it can't be! It is my dream, my life! What will I do if I cannot be a shinobi? How shall I pay my bills? If I can't train to be ninja, how am I going to keep my promise to Sakura-chan? I need to keep my promise to her, don't you understand that? Do you have any idea what you are telling me, huh, do you? Do…!"

Jiraiya couldn't take it anymore. He had spent two and a half year enduring Naruto's babbles about becoming Hokage and whatnot, and now the usual cheerful happy-go-lucky knucklehead was breaking down upon hearing it wouldn't happen. He cut off the blond by taking him into his arms and led him cry into his shirt. Glaring at the High Council, he dared them to upsetting the kid even further. But it was Kakashi who broke the silence, just as most were about to take another sip of water as they tried buying time under the Toad Sage's furious gaze.

"Honourable High Council, we might have the means to save Naruto's career and life. Release the Hatake Clan's scroll on Blood-Ninjutsu from the vault and entrust it to me. I will put all of my time into looking for something that might help, and I will cooperate one-hundred percent with the Lady Hokage."

But the Council wasn't really listening. When Kakashi had mentioned the Hatake Clan's scroll on Blood-Ninjutsu, they almost choked on their water and most of them were now coughing and spluttering, even the normal stoic Shibi and Hiashi. Homura and Koharu's eyebrows had disappeared up into their hairline, and Jiraiya and Tsunade had their mouths wide open, looking quite like fish out of water. Only Danzou remained unfazed by Kakashi's request. His voice cut through the silence like a sharp knife through flesh.

"Your ancestor Kashisamo Hatake labelled those jutsu and scroll as Forbidden Jutsu. Hatake, I'm sure you are aware what forbidden means? Only a Clan Head can change the decision of another Clan Head."

Kakashi had to bite back the retort threatening to escape his lips. He had played his king with the argument concerning the Sword of Kusanagi, yet they refused to back down. As he ran over the possible moves the High Council could make, he almost missed the conversation around him.

Koharu recovered first. "Naruto Uzumaki, due to you being unable to continue your duty as a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village, the High Council has no choice but to consider you as a civilian."

Homura nodded, his old face not giving any emotion away. "Naruto Uzumaki, your personal belongings will be moved to the orphanage where you will be live till you are adopted. A squad of ANBU operatives will be stationed there for your own protection. Is that acceptable to you?"

Naruto, who had perked up when Kakashi mentioned something that might help to save his career and life, and thus his dream, allowed tears, this time of anger, to mingle with his tears of despair. Never bothering to answer the Village Elder, he pushed out of Jiraiya's embrace and stormed towards the exit.

"Naruto!"

That was all it took for Kakashi to come to decision. Just as Naruto reached the door, he gripped the teen's wrist and spoke in a low voice. "Naruto, calm down."

Wrong thing to say. With effort, Naruto yanked his wrist out of Kakashi's grip. And unlike Kakashi, didn't bothered with lowering his voice. "Calm down? Calm down? The Hell I will! Tell me Kakashi-sensei, didn't you hear what they just said? I will be going back to the orphanage! Do you know the pain of watching other children being adopted, being carried away to a better future, while your hope of being one of those children is squashed over and over again? Do you? The only difference this time around will be that I know no one will adopt me! Do you know…!"

Once again, he was cut off by an embrace, but this time it was Kakashi's strong arms that wrapped around him and he heard the whisper. "I know of that pain, Naruto. Which is why you aren't going back there."

Okay, now Naruto was confused. Pushing away, he met the single onyx-grey eye of his teacher. "Kakashi-sensei, what are you talking about? Didn't you hear…?"

Kakashi simply nodded. "I heard them alright. But I won't let them." He hesitated, seeing the confusion, sadness and dulling anger in his student's blue eyes. "Just trust me, alright? Everything will work out in the end."

Naruto remained doubtful. "But how will…"

Kakashi cut across him yet again, voice still lowered. "This old dog still has one trick up his sleeve." His eye crinkled up into his signature eye-smile. "Trust me."

Naruto wasn't sure what it was, but there was something hypnotic in his silver-haired teacher's voice and eye that surpassed that of the gaze of the Sharingan. And those two little words in the end: It brought him back to when they first encountered Zabuza. Those two simple words had reassured him more than anything everything would be alright back then, and, much to his shock and surprise, they held the same reassurance and effect now. So nodding slightly, he allowed Kakashi to guide him back towards the High Council, Kakashi still with a hand on his shoulder, right behind him.

As he approached the table where the High Council was seated, Kakashi kept his hand on the shoulder of his blonde student, as much as to calm himself as to reassure his student, knowing what he had to do, but not liking that he had to.

'Naruto… forgive me. I know I can never make it right again, but hopefully, with this I can make amends for a mistake I made sixteen years ago. A mistake I should never have made in the first place. It is time for me to stop being a coward, and become what I was born to be. As the ace of hearts is played, their queen will fall.'

Stopping in front of the table, Kakashi spoke in a clear and authoritative voice, meeting the puzzled gaze of the Clan Heads and Hokage and the frowning faces of the Elders head-on.

"I, Kakashi Hatake, born on September 15, with Ninja Registration 009720, hereby resign from active shinobi duty to claim my title as Clan Head of the Hatake Clan and to take my seat in the High Council, as is my birthright. The Legendary Sannin Jiraiya is my witness on this. And my first action as Clan Lord shall be to enrol Naruto Uzumaki into the Hatake Clan. My second action shall be to demand that you release the Hatake Clan's scroll on Blood-Ninjutsu from your vault and hand it over to me."

Checkmate.

End chapter 20

AN: Well, it took the double of what I thought it would. *embarrassed grin* Anyway, you didn't think I would be so cruel to not let something good happen to Naruto after his ordeal, did you? He will get a girlfriend too, and a weapon, but I won't reveal who the girl or what the weapon will be. XD

Preview of the next chapter:

"Kakashi-sensei… Granny Tsunade… what aren't you telling me?"

00000

"It won't hold."

"This cage was built by the First Hokage. No wood is as strong and durable as the one created by the First."

"And I'm telling you it that won't be enough!"

00000

"Bring it down! Bring it down damnit!"

00000

"Naruto, NO! RUN NARUTO, RUN!"

Next time: Howls in the Night. Moony and Silvertooth Unleashed!


	21. Chapter 21

Thanks to all who have reviewed, added this story to alert/favourite list and added me to their alert/favourite lists.

Chapter 21: A Few Truths Comes Out

"I, Kakashi Hatake, born on September 15, with Ninja Registration 009720, hereby resign from active shinobi duty to claim my title as Clan Head of the Hatake Clan and to take my seat in the High Council, as is my birthright. The Legendary Sannin Jiraiya is my witness on this. And my first action as Clan Lord shall be to enroll Naruto Uzumaki into the Hatake Clan. My second action shall be to demand that you release the Hatake Clan's scroll on Blood-Ninjutsu from your vault and hand it over to me."

Their reactions came instantaneously. All of the Clan Heads and Tsunade and Jiraiya spluttered, causing cascades of water everywhere, while the eyes of the Village Elders widened comically. Naruto looked from his two teachers to the High Council, his mouth slightly open from shock and surprise. "What? What does that mean?"

Tsunade's mind was reeling, and Jiraiya didn't seem to be faring much better. For seventeen years Kakashi had declined from taking his seat on the Clan Council as Clan Head. Not since Sakumo Hatake had the seat been occupied by a Hatake; Danzou was only occupying that seat because, before the Uchiha Massacre, he needed a place to sit when the High Council conferred. Tsunade shook her head. If Kakashi was anything like his father, as he seemed to be if this trial had been any indication, the High Council was about to change dramatically. It had almost been a hobby of Sakumo's to play with their heads, annoying them to no end. Especially Hiashi Hyuuga and Fugaku Uchiha were frequent victims of Sakumo's mind games and sarcasm.

"OI! What has Kakashi-sensei speech to do with me?"

Shaking her head again, Tsunade fixed Naruto with a stern gaze. He really needed to learn some manners. "It means that for all intent and purposes, Kakashi… no, Lord Hatake… will be your guardian till you turn eighteen. You will be under his protection and you will answer to him when you get into mischief. So if you decide to paint the Hokage Monument, Lord Hatake will decide your punishment. Be it from removing the paint to clear the toilets at the Academy."

Naruto was dumbfounded. All of his life, he pretty much had to fight for himself, and the only one who really punished him for his pranks was Iruka. His antics never had any consequences from a grown-up, but it appeared that would change. But for some reason, it made him happy. At the orphanage, he dreamed of getting adopted, of having a parent.

"So… Kakashi-sensei is adopting me?"

Tsunade shook her head. "No, he is not." Naruto's face fell and Tsunade hurried to continue, ignoring the still coughing and spluttering Clan Heads. "There is a difference between adoption and enrolment into a clan. If he adopted you, you would have to change your name to Naruto Hatake. Furthermore, you wouldn't get any inheritance left by your parents. Instead, you would have to learn the secret jutsu of the clan and would inherit from the adopting clan if you were named Clan Heir." She paused to make sure Naruto was still following. He looked slightly confused, but nodded nonetheless. "With enrolment into clan, the Clan Head has no obligation to teach you any of the clan's jutsu, nor will you inherit anything should the Clan Head die. However, you get to keep your own name and any inheritance will be handed over when you come of age. "

She successfully held back 'or when you achieve the rank of chuunin'. There was no reason to remind the kid that his career as a shinobi was most likely over. Sighing, and steeling herself, the Hokage turned towards one of her most trusted shinobi. "Kakashi… no," She cut herself off. Damn, it was going to take some time to get used to addressing him like this. "Lord Hatake, where do you intend to move in with Naruto Uzumaki?"

Kakashi straightened up. "I will move in in the Hatake Compound with Naruto Uzumaki and Remus Lupin. You can also deliver the scroll on Blood-Ninjutsu there."

Tsunade nodded. "Izumo! Kotetsu!"

The two chuunin appeared, kneeling on the floor. "Yes ma'am!"

The Hokage looked at them, her voice businesslike. "Go the High Council's vault and demand them to hand over item xxxx0915. You will take said item to the Hatake Compound and deliver it the mansion there. ANBU Captain Dragon and his squad will be your escort. You will stay there till Lord Hatake arrives." She reached into her robes and withdrew a ring with the Hokage seal on it. "This will prove your request is authorized by me."

The two chuunins nodded and took off with a quick, "Yes ma'am!" leaving the High Council and three other people in the room. Tsunade turned her gaze towards the Hatake Clan Lord, resisting the urge to sigh. "Lord Hatake, why are you still here with your charge?"

Kakashi simply inclined his head before looking at Naruto. He had one last matter to deal with before he spoke with Remus. A matter that couldn't wait and, if Kakashi knew the Clan Heads and Hokage well, was sure to get a more than one temper going.

"Jiraiya, could you please escort Naruto to the Hatake Compound? Hokage-sama can fill you in on the details later."

Jiraiya frowned, but nodded. Taking Naruto by the shoulder, he lowered his voice and murmured into the boy's ear. "Come with me Naruto. You don't want to witness this. A bomb will blow up in a few minutes. What do you say? We go collect Remus-san and get a bowel of ramen at Ichiraku? My treat."

Naruto frowned, clearly not completely convinced, but he nodded anyway. Sighing, the Toad Sannin turned towards his best friend's brat of a son and whispered.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Kakashi?" He absolutely refused to call him Lord Hatake. He never called Sarutobi-sensei for Hokage-sama, he never addressed Minato or Tsunade as such, nor did he ever call Sakumo for Lord Hatake and he would be damned if he was going to start doing so with Kakashi. "That house is bound to host a lot of memories for you. Are you sure you want to return?"

Kakashi nodded. "I will be fine Jiraiya. Memories or not, it's only house big enough to provide a home for Naruto and Remus-san while also providing me with what I need."

Jiraiya's frown deepened but he shrugged it off. Like Sakumo, his brat talked in riddles and whatnot. And going on the narrowing of Tsunade's eyes and slight tensing of Kakashi's body, Jiraiya got the feeling that two of the most infamous tempers in Konoha's history was about to clash, and as he walked Naruto out of the courtroom and closed the door, he made a comparison of the tempers.

Tsunade was quickly enraged and tended to express herself both verbally and with her fists. Kakashi had a self-control like few and rarely let his anger get to him, but once his boiling point was reached, his rage was just as explosive as the one of Tsunade's. Not counting the night of the Kyuubi attack, where Kakashi hit Minato, Jiraiya could only count one time he had witnessed Sakumo's brat given in to his anger. It had been shortly after the death of Obito Uchiha and the end of Third Shinobi World War. Some poor fool had suggested using Edo Tensei to avenge their fallen comrades. Kakashi had been far from impressed with that idea, especially after Jiraiya explained what it essentially did.

Tsunade first spoke when she heard the door close. "Lord Hatake, I assume you have a good reason for wanting this confidential meeting?"

Kakashi bowed his head in acknowledgement. "Yes Hokage-sama. During our captive, Naruto and I learned that Orochimaru has created an army of werewolf-like creatures."

And there it was. Her face darkening in anger, Tsunade stood up and slammed her hand onto the table, almost breaking it in two. "Kakashi Hatake! Why didn't you mention this the moment you woke up!"

Kakashi met the glares from the High Council seated with a glare of his own, and even caused Tsume Inuzuka and Chouza Akimichi lower their gazes. "Because I knew you would execute Remus-san on the spot should he mention his, in lack of better words, condition."

This time, the table did break. "AND WITH DAMN GOOD REASON! KAKASHI, YOU HAVE PRACTICALLY LET THE WOLF IN WITH THE SHEEP!"

Kakashi had to stop a snort from escaping. Shinobi could be compared with many things, but they weren't sheep. "No, I have not. Remus-san might be the source of this new threat, but…"

"BUT NOTHING! KAKASHI, I HAVE HALF A MIND TO DISPATCH AN ANBU SQUAD TO TAKE HIM DOWN!"

Danzou nodded, agreeing with Tsunade… for once. "Indeed, Tsunade-hime. This new information changes everything."

The other Elders also nodded and even a few of the Clan Heads as well. That did it. Kakashi's patience had run out, and he only hoped that Jiraiya had taken Naruto far away from this place by now.

"IT CHANGES NOTHING! HE MIGHT HAVE MADE A MISTAKE IN NOT TELLING US SOONER, BUT FACT STILL REMAINS THAT THE VILLAGE OWES HIM THE LIVES OF TWO OF ITS SHINOBI! AND EVEN IF IT DIDN'T, WE CANNONT KILL HIM!"

Tsunade took a few calming breaths, reigning in her anger, but her voice told everyone in the room she was close to erupting again. "Oh? Please enlighten us, Lord Hatake."

Kakashi inhaled and exhaled slowly. It had been quite some time since he had lost control like that. "Information, Lady Hokage. If he dies, the information he holds dies with him." He continued before they could even open their mouth. "And even if you dispatched an ANBU squad, I bet you that they would fail. This guy fought and wounded Orochimaru; with his own sword no less. He is more than a match for them."

Shikaku thought that now would be a good time to interrupt, and a glance at his former teammates told him he was right. Like himself, they too had had a flashback of Sakumo Hatake, their former sensei, having a heated row with the High Council. And it seemed Sakumo-sensei's temper had been passed on to his son. "Lord Hatake, I take it is information on the enemy?"

Kakashi, willing himself to calm down, turned his attention to the Head of the Nara Clan. "Yes, Lord Nara. While we were held captive, we discovered that Orochimaru had allied himself with a woman that wielded power similar to Remus-san. Remus-san and that woman, Bellatrix Lestrange I think her name was, clearly knew each other and were far from happy of seeing each other. How she came to be here is not important, but Remus-san might know. What is important, however, is something Orochimaru said: He said that should he be killed, the control of those pseudo-werewolves would be transferred to Bellatrix."

Shikaku gave a slight frown. "What did this Bellatrix look like?"

Kakashi frowned a bit, recalling the image of Bellatrix Lestrange. "She has long black hair and eyes. Tall and her face are gaunt and skull like."

Shikaku looked down at Tsume and saw his thoughts mirrored in the Inuzuka Clan Head's eyes. She too remembered that woman. He turned his gaze towards Kakashi again. "We have already met her. We fought her during the retrieval mission. She trapped us with those pseudo-werewolves you speak of." He looked at Tsunade who looked ready to explode, this time at him. Time for deflecting that anger. "Hokage-sama, in our reports we mentioned some strange wolf-like beasts. We thought they were failed experiments but it would appear we were wrong." His gaze shifted to the hospital garb wearing Clan Head. "Lord Hatake, how many of those pseudo-werewolves do you suspect Orochimaru managed to create?"

Kakashi closed his eye. "Five hundred strong… at least." He opened his eye again and met the gazes of the High Council. "Remus-san might have taken some of them out, but if just some of them managed to survive the flood created by Kisame, we must be on our guard. For unlike Remus-san, who cannot control his transformation, some of those pseudo-werewolves can. And while smaller than Remus-san's beast form, they are of equal threat. We need a new defense strategy."

Shikaku's brow furrowed but it was Hiashi Hyuuga spoke up. "Our defense strategy has been tested against many different enemies through the years; no invader has been able to best it since the founding."

Kakashi turned his head in Hiashi's direction, giving a slight nod of acknowledgement. "Lord Hyuuga, what you say is true. However, this is an enemy unlike any we have ever encountered before. Unlike an assault like the one Suna and Oto launched almost three years ago, we cannot delay this enemy while we evacuate civilians and those not ready for battle. And unlike with the Kyuubi, we cannot attack this foe in waves to push them out."

Hiashi simply cocked an eyebrow, although a slight frown creased his brow. "And why is that?"

Kakashi took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as he met the gazes of the High Council. "Because this enemy will increase its numbers by turning defenders into attackers by biting. One bites you, and you will become one of them. And that is why we need Remus-san alive: Who would know the weaknesses of a werewolf better than a werewolf? I doubt he will be unwilling to share that sort of information considering he has already killed some of them."

Tsunade closed her eyes, pondering what to do next. Coming to a decision, she opened her eyes and met Kakashi's gaze. "Very well Lord Hatake, you have made your point. However, I cannot let Remus-san run on a rampage once the full moon rise. Therefore, he will be confined in one of the ANBU holding cells. Moreover, we will have special trained guards monitoring him during that time to see if they can spot any weakness he may not mention or is unaware of."

Kakashi simply nodded. He had seen the look in Tsunade's eyes and he knew she was not going to budge. "That is acceptable Hokage-sama."

Tsunade nodded her head, glad that she at least had managed win that argument. Surprised that Kakashi hadn't tried to argue it but pleased. "Good. Lord Hatake, I have booked a time for Naruto Uzumaki's check-up: Tomorrow at noon, room 262 where we will remove the chakra suppression collar… if that is acceptable to you?"

Kakashi nodded again. "It is, Hokage-sama. I have nothing else to add, but perhaps the rest of the High Council have?" A cursory scan showed that many of them wanted to say something, but decided to hold their tongue behind their teeth. Inwardly smirking, Kakashi bowed. "Good day to you all, High Council."

With that he turned around and walked out of the room, smiling as a few chuunins, who most likely had heard the discussion between Lady Tsunade and himself while attempting to eavesdrop, gave him a wide berth as he strolled down the street in hospital garbs.

00000

Remus didn't know whether to laugh at or help out the two unfortunate shinobi making their way toward, him carrying a human-sized red and white scroll on their shoulders. One of them had brown hair and what looked like a bandanna while the other had dark hair and a bandage covering his nose. From the sounds of it, the bandanna wearing guy was admonishing the one with bandage for lack of pride in his work to which the latter responded something about Fifth Hokage and gophers. But just as he was about to call out to them, he took a few sniffs and his eye darted towards the trees on either side of the two shinobi.

'Four of them eh? Most be something important. And…' He took a few sniffs of the air again and a somewhat nervous smile appeared on his face as he spotted Jiraiya, Naruto and Kakashi walking behind the two carrying the scroll. Jiraiya and Naruto had arrived at Kakashi's apartment about one hour ago and told him to come with them. Jiraiya with a dark look and voice while the teenager refused to make eye contact. 'Here they come. Naruto, Kakashi and eight Jiraiyas… wait, what?'

Remus blinked, rubbed his eye and did a double and triple check. Sure enough, trailing behind the two men and blonde were seven Jiraiyas, all of them carrying some heavy looking boxes and looking more than just a bit disgruntled. Pushing himself up from the steps, he walked towards the three in the middle, trying to ignore the small flinch and narrowing of eyes of the two carrying the scroll.

"Need some help with those boxes?"

The Jiraiya with a box closest to him grunted. "Only if you can get those boxes up on the first floor without breaking anything."

Remus simply tilted his head to the right, giving the larger man... no men, a look of indulgence. "But of course." He pulled out his wand, rejoicing the feeling of the wood. "First floor you say? No problem. Wingardium Leviosa!"

Jiraiya cocked an eyebrow at the weird words and swish and flick Lupin made, but he was sure his mouth dropped a bit when he saw all the boxes with Kakashi's and Naruto's belongings slowly rose into air and moved towards the house, Lupin directing them with his wand as he hummed a little tune to himself. Kakashi was giving the wand curious glances while Naruto eyed it with a mix of wariness and curiosity. The Toad Sannin almost laughed at the longing and gobsmacked looks Izumo and Kotetsu were giving the wand. Looking from the wand to the boxes sailing over the banister on the first floor before landing with a dull thud.

Eyeing the house brought back a lot of memories for the Toad Sannin, some good, some bad, and Konoha's greatest pervert barely registered Kakashi saying that Lupin couldn't levitate the scroll for Izumo and Kotetsu as the study was on the ground floor. Jiraiya shook his head to clear his thoughts from the images of a masked little boy sitting on top of Sakumo's shoulders or on one of Orochimaru's snakes or his toads. That time was long gone and wasn't coming back, no matter how hard Jiraiya wanted it to.

The Hatake Compound was located near the northern border of the village and had once been a center of joy and friendship. But now it was as deserted as the Uchiha district, giving off a cold and haunted air to anyone who dares to set foot there.

The Hatake Mansion, the Hatake Clan Head's residence, had stood unoccupied for twenty-two years, so Jiraiya was more than a bit surprised to see that it looked like time hadn't passed at all.

Its white painting had barely fainted at all, and its roof was still a beautiful green. And on every corner of the roof perched a silver wolf, their eyes every bit as menacing as the Toad Sannin remembered them to be. The house itself stood in two floor, ground and first floor, with a sliding door as the entry and a veranda in front. Around the first floor ran an outdoor walking areal, like an all-round terrace. All in all, it was more like an over-sized house than an estate. Jiraiya dispelled his Shadow Clones as they reached the front door and felt a small rush of astonishment and satisfaction when Remus made a jump and stared with a wide eye and mouth open.

"What's wrong? Have you never seen a Shadow Clone before?"

Lupin simply shook his head, mouth still slightly ajar. "Eh… only once. Naruto created some during that fight in the woods. Still, where I'm from, it take years to clone anything. And last I checked the biggest thing someone has managed to clone is a sheep."

All the shinobi stared at him. How the heck does anyone survive for so long without being able to create a clone, even the ones people learn in the Academy? Clones were crucial for a ninja's survival, be it from taking a hit meant for you, to create a diversion or gather intelligence on the enemy. Kakashi shook his head, wondering if Remus would ever stop surprising him.

When he opened the sliding door, it was clear that time indeed had passed. The entrance hall was covered in dust with cobwebs in every corner. Jiraiya frowned. "Sorry Kakashi, but I absolutely refuse to walk barefooted in here."

Kakashi simply nodded, but Remus took out his wand again and gave a few waves with it, and the shinobi watched how the dust and cobwebs removed itself. Smiling, the wizard turned to the shinobi.

"I hope you have some brooms and mops." Perplexed looks. "I can't clean a whole house this way. The larger the area, the harder it is to focus the spell, the more taxing it is. But I can clean a path for us."

Kakashi looked from the spotless hall to the dusty kitchen through a door on their left. He was not looking forward to the cleaning that would be needed to be done, but he supposed there was no helping it. He couldn't even call Remus a liar for he didn't know enough of his jutsu to call him out on it. Smiling under his mask, he turned to Lupin.

"Please do."

Remus gave a slight nod and started waving it from side to side and they walked into the kitchen. To their immediate right stood a table with two chairs and a bench fastened to the wall. In the southwest corner was the oven and stove while small cabinets and shelves lined the south wall. The east wall held a table with a sink and in the north was a sliding door leading on to the living room.

Naruto looked around the living room, eyes wide. To his immediate left, directly to the west was a staircase leading up and down. In the northwestern corner stood a long table of mahogany with eight matching chairs. Looking northeast stood a maroon couch, or at least, Naruto assumed it was maroon under the layers of dust, an oak table and two armchairs matching the couch. On the south wall hang a telly and by the door in the east wall leading further into the house stood a bookcase filled with books. Turning his head, the wizard among the ninja directed his question to the Hatake Clan Head.

"Where next Kakashi?"

The Copy-Ninja nodded towards east, further into the house. "In there. I think Izumo-san and Kotetsu-san are getting tired of carrying that scroll, so we should let them drop it off in the library."

Remus nodded his consent and cleared a path for them. Before long they reached a place where they had another short corridor on their left and a door on their right, while by the end of the corridor stood a closet.

"The library takes up the ground floor's southeastern corner. Now, if I remember correctly…" Kakashi trailed off, examining the heavy oak door in front of him. A door without a handle. "This door has a special lock. If I'm not mistaken…" He brushed some dust and a few cobwebs from the door, revealing a wolf with its mouth open carved into the door. "And there is the lock." He frowned, trying to recall his father words. "When finding the lock, all you need is your silver hand."

Staring at the wolf head for a moment before, much to the surprise of the gathered, bit his palm.

"Kakashi-sensei, what the…" Kakashi answered Naruto's unfinished question by placing his palm against the door, right in the wolf's mouth. For a few seconds, nothing happened, but then the carvings glowed red and the door slid away, leaving Naruto and the two chuunins gaping. Lupin cocked an eyebrow in surprise while Kakashi looked tense. Jiraiya spoke up, frowning deeply.

"Kakashi… was that what I think it was?"

The silver-haired shinobi nodded and motioned for Izumo and Kotetsu to put the scroll inside. "Blood Barrier Jutsu: Guarding Wolf Lock. It is one of the most powerful barriers in the Hatake Clan's arsenal. Only fresh Hatake blood can open the lock. It is considered a forbidden jutsu now, but it wasn't during the First's time."

Jiraiya nodded, but didn't say anything. He didn't think it was wise to reveal such sensitive information in front of Remus Lupin, but the younger man's surprise seemed to have faded to understanding and acknowledgment. "You don't seem to be surprised by this, Lupin-san. You are perhaps familiar with this sort of jutsu?"

Remus turned his gaze toward the Toad Sannin, a tired look crossing his face. "In a way, I'm." The looks from the others told the wizard they were waiting for an explanation. "Where I'm from, Blood Wards are perhaps the most powerful wards in existence. No matter how much brute force you have or powerful spells, a Blood Ward will not budge an inch."

Kakashi nodded, listening with somewhat rapt attention. It sounded to him that Remus knew a lot more about Blood Ninjutsu than he let on, meaning when they talked, it would be most interesting indeed. "Izumo-san, Kotetsu-san, you may go. Remus-san, if you would clean a path to the rooms upstairs?"

While Izumo and Kotetsu bowed gratefully before disappearing, Jiraiya and Kakashi didn't miss the flash of amber in Remus eye as he left. As they watched him ascend the stairs, the trio walked down the corridor, towards north. The short corridor ended with another closet, and like before, they had a door on either side. Kakashi opened the door on the left and Naruto's jaw almost hit the floor.

The large room was a combination of a smithy and an armoury. Nearest to the north wall stood two forges with several buckets and other necessaries. The southern wall was lined with shelves with kunai, shuriken of different shape and sizes, and much to Naruto's confusion, a few throwing axes. In the corners stood a few spears, but there were two things hanging on the western wall that really caught the attention of the blond Jinchuuriki.

One was a large longbow decorated with green and blue cords wrapped around it with a matching quiver filled with arrows. The other object was a sword in red and silver sheath with a silver and green handle. He was so focused on the sword he didn't hear his two mentors talking in hushed voices. Glancing from them to the sword, Naruto stepped closer to the sword.

"… Jiraiya-sama, what do you know about that sword? I… Naruto, don't touch that!"

Naruto yanked his hand back to him, his fingertips one inch from the sheath. "Kakashi-sensei, what…?"

Kakashi stepped closer, a frown on his face. "I don't remember this sword at all." His frown deepened. "I haven't set foot in this house for over two decades, but I remember what was here all those years ago; and that sword wasn't. I never looked into the armoury after that night, but I have never seen my father carry it. If my father was the one to place this sword… well, better be careful."

The Copy-Ninja leaned so close that his masked nose was almost touching the sheath. "The scent is old, so I can't identify it. I suppose I don't have a choice…"

Kakashi, ignoring the spluttering of Jiraiya and Naruto, uncovered his Sharingan for a few seconds to scan the sword for any traps. He would have given it a longer look, but the moment he uncovered Obito's gift, the collar around him flared to life and Kakashi felt it draining his chakra, so he quickly closed his Sharingan, but he still felt a thundering headache coming his way. Groaning, he massaged his temples, cursing Orochimaru in his mind. But his frustration was quite clear in his voice.

"Damn it all. I can't wait to get rid of this thing."

"Kakashi? Are you alright?"

Kakashi nodded. "I'm fine Jiraiya-sama, really." Jiraiya snorted, showing him he didn't believe the younger man one bit. "In any case, I found out I was right to stop Naruto. There is an invisible Fire Barrier placed upon that sword. For some reason… it faded when I revealed my Sharingan." He looked at Jiraiya who was smiling innocently, making it obvious he knew something. "Out with it, Old Man."

Jiraiya scowled at being called old, but then he smirked. "No. Find out by yourself, Brat."

Now it was Kakashi's turn to scowl, but as Naruto tried to stifle his snickers, the scowl morphed into a frown as he took down the sword and grabbed the hilt. A warm and tingling sensation ran up his arm. His voice was low, but it carried the same sentiment as his frown: Confusion.

"This can't be right. I have never seen, or hold, this sword before. Yet, it feels strangely familiar. But why?"

He looked at Jiraiya who was still smirking. "Go on."

Rolling his eye in slight annoyance, knowing that the Toad Sannin wouldn't say what was going on, Kakashi unsheathed the sword. And almost dropped it from sheer shock. The sword was a mix of scimitar and ninjato, but longer than a katana. But that wasn't what surprised Kakashi. It was the fact that it was glowing bright white and the sound of thousands of birds filled the room, lightning running up and down the blade.

"No… it can't be."

Jiraiya's smirk grew. "You thought Minato was going to let an enemy get their hands on the shards of your father's tanto for research and boasting? No Brat, he brought the shards back to Konoha. That, "he gestured at the sword in Kakashi's hand, "is the tip and handle, with additional length, of your father's tanto, re-forged with the same chakra metal as Asuma Sarutobi's trench knives. He, if I remember correctly, made it so the protective barrier would only go away if you looked at it with your Sharingan."

Kakashi nodded, no longer that surprised after hearing Jiraiya's little tale, as he sheathed the sword, the light and chirping instantly ceasing. Shouldering the blade, he used his free hand to take down the longbow and quiver. Looking at it with a sad smile on his face, he handed it to Naruto. The boy's jaw dropped.

"What? For me? Kakashi-sensei, you don't have to…"

Kakashi wasn't going to take no for an answer, however. "It isn't up for debate Naruto. We will begin training tomorrow, after we return from your medical check-up."

Naruto just stared before nodding and leaving. As Jiraiya and Kakashi left the room, ignoring the storeroom for food next to the armoury, Jiraiya leaned down to whisper in Kakashi's ear.

"Are you sure it is wise to give Naruto that longbow? It has killed many an Uzumaki back in the day."

Kakashi shifted his gaze slightly, meeting Jiraiya's. "And many a Hyuuga, Aburame, Yamanaka, Inuzuka, Uchiha and Senju. It has served my clan well, and will serve Naruto just as well."

Jiraiya looked unconvinced, but didn't say anything. But as they ascended the stairs, they did a double-check. It was completely clean. Looking around, Kakashi noticed that Remus was leaning against the door furthest from them, exhaustion visible on his face.

Remus raised his eyebrows upon seeing Naruto carrying a longbow and Kakashi carrying a sword, but didn't comment on it. He was too tired. Besides, he had a feeling Kakashi must have had a good feeling for giving Naruto the bow. Ignoring the throbbing of his damaged eye, Remus gave the shinobi a weak smile.

"I have cleaned all of this floor and the rooms, so I'm a bit tired. If you will have me excused, but I must rest. I have taken the room here… if that is okay with you?"

Kakashi simply nodded. It was clear to him that Remus was trying to earn their trust. Good, it would give him something to work with. "Thank you, Remus-san. And no worries, the room you have chosen are the guest room."

Remus nodded and disappeared inside his room and they heard the dull sound of him collapsing on his bed. Turning to Naruto, Kakashi spoke again. "I figured you can take my old room. The first door on your left is an extra toilet while the one in the middle is the bathroom. I will sleep in the master room. "He nodded towards the east, and Jiraiya could hear the exhaustion in his voice. "Jiraiya-sama, I must apologize. It seems the day's events have tired me more than I thought. I trust you can find the way out?"

Jiraiya nodded, concerned for his friend's brat of a son. It was like someone had brought back some of Kakashi's old personality from before Obito's death, and it didn't set well with the Sannin. But he nodded nonetheless, gave Naruto a quick one-armed hug and hair ruffle and left.

As he went to bed that night, Naruto looked around in Kakashi's… no; his room, and wondered if he would have lived here had he been adopted or enrolled by Kakashi sixteen years ago. The room itself wasn't that special: It had a desk, bed, drawer and wardrobe, but still, it meant the world to Naruto. He felt like a normal teenager for once.

Kakashi closed his eye as he lay on his parent's bed. It had been twenty-two years since he had found his father dead in this very house, yet it felt like it was only yesterday. He had never thought he would ever set foot in this house again, but here he was, now as the guardian of his deceased sensei's son. People he fought often asked if he could see the future, and he automatically said yes, but he sure as hell didn't see recent events occur. A laughing face popped up in his mind, those hideous orange goggles firmly over his eyes.

"Bet you are laughing your ass off, aren't you, Obito?" The image shifted to one of a blonde man and redhead. "Minato-sensei, Kushina-san. I have failed you. I didn't become his guardian after that night. But no more. I know I can never make it right again, but I can try to repair some of the damage done."

Then the image changed to the one of his one-eyed charge... guest... senpai. He no longer knew exactly what to call him. One thing was certain, however: He needed to talk with, preferably tomorrow. He needed to speak with Hyuuga he could trust. And he knew just what Hyuuga. And he needed to speak with Tenzou. He needed him to create something that could hold if, or rather, when, he transformed. That was the problem with most barrier jutsu: Quite effective at keeping objectives out, but not keeping in. And those jutsu that was designed to keep people in, was in most cases, too large and complicated for your standard ninja to erect. Not to mention they required 100% focus at all times to keep up. 100% focus for seventy-two hours? Impossible, even if they took shifts. Not even his clan's had barriers that kept people in. He remembered a time when he was six or seven. Minato and Kushina had been visiting, but Kakashi had been in the library with his father and as such, none of the Hatake had heard the knock on their door. It was only when they heard approaching voices Kakashi had went to check who was coming unannounced like that. Back then, he had not known of the Blood Barrier Jutsu: Guarding Wolf Lock and its peculiarities: It would reapply itself after an hour, and even if the door was open, you could only see it from the inside. If you came from the hall, and wasn't of Hatake blood, it would look closed. Some sort of genjutsu working in conjunction with the barrier. So when young Kakashi had walked out from the library, to Kushina and Minato, it had looked like he had come out of the wall.

The effect had been hilarious, to say the least. The pair had countless pearls of sweat running down their faces, their eyes had bulged out and widened to a comical size and then the couple had let out shrieks that could be heard over quite a bit of the village. When Sakumo had walked out to see what the commotion was all about, they had screamed some more and then fainted. Turned out the couple had a great fear of ghosts and believed the two Hatake's to be such after their unusual appearance.

Kakashi could not remember any time where he had laughed that much. Well, a close runner-up would be on that ANBU mission where some fourteen-year-old boy had asked Itachi if he was available and wanted to dance, apparently mistaken him for a girl due to his hairstyle. Itachi had never heard the end of it.

With a smile on his face, albeit a sad one, Kakashi fell asleep, remembering less complicated times.

00000

Naruto blinked three times, not believing his ears. She couldn't possibly have said what he had heard, could she? Looking around at the other occupants in the room, hoping someone would shout "You fell for it!" They didn't. Sakura-chan was trying to keep a straight face, but the pink in her cheeks betrayed her. Neji looked indifferent, although his lips seemed to be fighting against a smirk. All of the teens were wearing their usual outfit, and Naruto felt at least a little better being in his own clothes than the hospital garb. The bandages, however, were still on. The blonde Jinchuuriki turned his head towards Remus Lupin. He was not sure to think of the man. He might be more similar to him than he thought, but that one-eyed gaze unnerved him, even scared him a little. Especially now that he knew what lurked behind, his last encounter with that monster far from being forgotten.

However, Remus' put him at edge. This morning, the teenager almost had a seizure. He had come down and found a man wearing a fitting black cloak sitting at the table eating breakfast. At first Naruto had thought it was some Akatsuki who had managed to sneak in, but upon closer inspection, the difference was so clear that Naruto couldn't believe he didn't see the first time around. Where there used to be red skies were Konoha insignias in a leaf colour instead, and the usual red interior had been turned a dark forest green. Better yet, the blood had been cleaned from it and the tears repaired. Imagine his surprise when it turned out to be Remus.

Naruto studied the man. Aside from his Akatsuki turned Leaf cloak, which also had been shrunk to fit him, he wore the usual jounin shirt and pants, the Sword of Kusanagi on his back. The man was currently glaring at something in the nearby corner, a frown of annoyance plain on his face. Naruto thought he heard him muttering something about "those people hardly need your protection. Mad about me dumping all of that dust on you, is that it?"

Naruto's blue gaze shifted to his guardian. Kakashi was wearing his usual uniform again, but with a few additions. A silver and green cloak covered his left arm, its fastening across his right shoulder, the Hatake Clan crest standing out like a campfire in the night due to its red colour. He looked a little tense, but was giving Tsunade his full attention. The Slug Sannin looked a bit tense too, and a bit impatient, so Naruto hurried up to ask, just to make sure he didn't do anything embarrassing.

"Eh, Granny, could you please repeat that? I must have heard you wrong or something, hehehe."

Tsunade sighed. "Strip, Naruto. I need you to strip, meaning you have to take off your clothes."

Sakura was growing pinker by the seconds, but it was nothing compared to Naruto. And his voice was getting pretty squeaky. "Do… do I have to? Really? Can't you…"

Tsunade simply cocked an eyebrow. "Do you want me to do it for you?"

Sakura coughed while the hue in Naruto's cheeks was comparing with the colour of said girl's hair. "But it is embarrassing!" He was whining by now

Having had enough of the staring contest with the guard in the corner, Remus spoke up. "Lady Hokage, Kakashi, I don't think I need to be here. So I will take my leave." He shot a glare in the direction of the corner, the approaching full moon making him quite irritable. "And I suppose you will just tail me, am I right?"

He didn't wait for a response from the corner, but once the two addressed to begin with nodded, he was out of there, and the ANBU dropped his disguise and followed him, just as Shizune entered. Tsunade smiled before turning to Naruto.

"Now get a move on kid. I don't have all day." Naruto still hesitated. "You don't have anything I haven't seen before, so move it."

Naruto, grumbling under his breath, disrobed until he was only in his boxers and bandages. He muttered as Tsunade pointed towards the hospital bed, quite iffy about the situation. "I just don't understand why it has to be you, Granny? Why can't Sakura-chan do it?"

The blonde Jinchuuriki knew he was likely to get smacked from Konoha to Suna by either woman, but much to his surprise, Tsunade answered the question. "Because you are the student of one Kakashi Hatake. I'm not taking any chances with you. I will not have you causing the same problems he did when he was your age."

Sakura and Naruto instantly rounded on their teacher and asked on the same time. "What did you do, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi, suddenly looking a tad nervous, rubbed his neck. "Eh… well… you see…"

Tsunade snorted, drawing their attention to her. "It would be easier to ask what he didn't do. All that trouble for the mandatory routine check of his body."

That confused Naruto. "Mandatory routine check? Huh?"

Tsunade sighed. "In Konoha, when a ninja, regardless of gender, reach the age of fifteen-sixteen, they are required to submit themselves to mandatory check of their body. It's done to confirm they are healthy and fit enough to carry on with their duties, and that their bodies are developing like they should. Shizune was the one to perform the check on all of your peers. The only reason you haven't been checked yet was because you were travelling with the Pervert."

Sakura tilted her head. She remembered that check-up and the embarrassment having to stand only in her underwear in front of Shizune, but it didn't explain why Kakashi was beginning to fidget on his feet. Still, like a true student of Kakashi, curiosity won over caution.

"Ehm… Tsunade-sama, what did Kakashi-sensei do that caused so much trouble?"

"Ehh… I didn't… I didn't cause any trouble at all… my behaviour was exemplary."

Tsunade turned her head in Kakashi's direction. "What? Brat, I have never had a patient as, to put it the same way as the Nara do, troublesome, as you."

"But what did he do?" Two voices asked.

Tsunade scowled at Kakashi who looked somewhat sheepish. "Sharingan'ed the first medic until he was a quivering mess. The man didn't talk for a week and then had to take a few weeks off. Seduced the next two female medics into activities that a bed at home is more suited for. I had to threaten with burning those damned books of his to get him to cooperate."

Sakura and Naruto were blushing madly at that short story, and even Kakashi had a pink colour to his cheeks. He did not enjoy having part of his sex-life revealed to his students. Tsunade was going to pay for that one. Tsunade's scowl turned into a smirk, ignoring the tomato-red face of Shizune. Vengeance was sweet. Turning her gaze, Tsunade gestured for Neji, whom was looking just slightly uncomfortable as she began unwrapping Naruto's bandages.

"Sakura, this might be a bit more extreme than what you are used to. You may leave if it becomes too much." Sakura nodded as she took up position next to the Hokage. "Neji-san, are you ready?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

Removing the bandages, and ignoring Sakura's horrified gasp, Tsunade lowered Naruto to a lying position, and moments later, her hands became alit with green light at the same time the Hyuuga prodigy activated his Bloodline Limit, focusing on the blonde's right arm and shoulder, a concentrated frown of contemplation on his face while placing the tips of his right index and middle finger on Naruto's right shoulder. Inch by inch, starting from top, Tsunade worked moved her hands down Naruto's body only a fraction of air between her palms and Naruto's bared skin.

The next two hours were perhaps some of the most gruelling hours Tsunade had ever experienced. Naruto had tried putting on a brave front, but whatever Orochimaru had used, made the scan and slight healing process all the more painful for him, and soon he was clutching Sakura's hand like it was lifeline, face scrunched up in pain. But after those two gruelling hours, all of the small puncture wounds had been healed up, leaving only four major problems. The seals branded into his skin on his forehead and stomach, the suppression collar and the Chakra Cancer. The suppression collar would, in accordance with Kakashi's wishes, be gone in a few moments, and for now, the only thing they could do about the Chakra Cancer was stopping it from spreading further. That left only the brandings. But first…

Tsunade looked at Neji, addressing him first, dreading the answer to her question. "What is the status of the Chakra Cancer? Are our measures against the Chakra Cancer working?"

Neji nodded, a tired smile on his face. "Yes Lady Hokage. The cancer hasn't spread. " All the other occupants in room sighed with relief. "However," all tensed up, not liking that part at all. "We will have to make new artificial pathways in a week's time, less we risk the infected chakra to form pathways on its own. During my scan, I noticed several small fissures in the artificial pathways' inner walls. I can only conclude that those are created by the pressure of the infected chakra running in them and, given enough time, those fissures will widen and the cancer will spread. I mended those fissures, but a repair can only hold so long."

Tsunade let out a tired and sad sigh. "Thank you Neji. That will be all."

Neji bowed to each person in the room and made for the door. But as he passed Kakashi, the man spoke so lowly that Neji almost missed it. "Meet me at the Hatake Mansion at nine o'clock. I need to speak with you."

Neji quirked an eyebrow, curious despite himself, wondering what could be so important that the Clan Lord wanted to have a private conversation with him.

As Neji closed the door behind him, Tsunade was examining the seal Orochimaru had branded into Naruto's skin, her fingers tracing the seals placed by Orochimaru and Minato. The Fourth Hokage's seal was only visible because she poured a small amount of chakra into it, but the contrast was clear. The Fourth's was smooth while Orochimaru's horrendous branding was rough, and caused a hiss of pain from Naruto every time the Hokage's fingertips ran over them. After five minutes of examining him, Tsunade stood up, biting her thumb while frowning deeply.

"Granny Tsunade? You can fix those… those… things, can't you?"

Tsunade's frown deepened and her voice was quite tight as she spoke up, glancing at Kakashi. "The Five Elements Seal was originally developed by Jiraiya, Orochimaru and I when we were in our late teens and early twenties as a counter against hostile Jinchuuriki. Yes, I can heal it, but Naruto, it will take time and be extremely painful. And it is not just one healing session either."

Kakashi frowned, not liking that wording at all. And one glance at Naruto told him that his student and ward was too afraid to ask. After all, it was his dreams on the line here. "How long, Lady Hokage?"

Tsunade closed her eyes, steeling herself. "If my estimation is correct, he will need a session of two-four hours every second week… for one year or longer. We need to draw out the poison in the seals and heal it in equally amounts, or the results will be disastrous."

Kakashi internally winced. He knew too well how much it hurt having brandings healed up. But even he had never been subjected to a treatment of that duration, and he doubted Naruto could endure that.

"I am ready Granny Tsunade." Several heads turned to face the blond on the hospital bed, doubt on their faces. Shrinking a little under the piercing gazes of Tsunade and Kakashi, Naruto firmed his resolve and spoke up in a loud and clear voice. "I am going to be the Hokage one day, and I'm not going to let this stop me."

They all smiled fondly as Naruto gave his trademark grin. Some things never changed, and Kakashi resolved to research his clan's scroll on Blood-Ninjutsu. And, if time allowed it, take up a project he had been working on for the last decade or so, pushing thoughts of Remus Lupin to the back of his mind for the time being. He was so caught up in his musing that he almost missed Tsunade telling Naruto that aside from what they had talked about so far, the blond teenager would have to change his food habits quite drastically unless he wanted to stand 1,66 for the rest of his life. Not to mention the little comment about him not having Kakashi's luck and skills with the ladies, much to Naruto's mortification.

00000

The days had gone by quickly, and Remus Lupin found himself seated on a couch in the Hatake Mansion, sitting in a circle with Tsunade and Kakashi. The last twelve days had been tiring, in more than one way for the werewolf. Tiring in a good way seeing how he had gotten to spar with one of Kakashi's friends and some of his students. If Remus remembered correctly, the name of Kakashi's friend was Gai while the students were called Lee and Neji, while Kakashi supervised Naruto's archery training and doing some kenjutsu exercises himself. Remus remembered having to stifle a laughter once the shock of the green spandexes had worn off and had asked Kakashi if Gai and Lee was father and son. He also remembered Neji's eyes making him slightly uneasy. It wasn't as much that Remus was reminded of a blind man, but rather the calculating look he was giving him… as if he knew something about Remus that he himself didn't.

Some other good things that had happened were that people seemed to have accepted his outfit. Even better: Kakashi had said that, after the full moon, he would start training with him again. Of course, Remus knew the training would have some sort of cost on his account, but he was willing to pay that expense.

Tiring in a negative way by having one of those masked ninja Kakashi had identified as ANBU members, trailing him everywhere watching him twenty-four-seven. Combine that with his aching bones due to the full moon tomorrow, Remus' patience was wearing dangerously thin, and he had to remind himself that it would not be in his best interests to blast the ANBU guard through the wall. At least the ANBU operative wasn't trying to hide this time around. Turning his gaze towards the two opposite him, he gave a polite nod.

"Milady, Kakashi. What can I do for you?"

Tsunade decided to lead the 'negotiation' for now. "Remus-san, Lord Hatake wanted to teach you ninjutsu. I agreed, but on the condition that you share some vital information with us. Do you accept those terms?"

Remus nodded, suppressing the urge to give a small smirk. He had expected as much. "Of course milady. I wouldn't expect anything else."

Tsunade nodded. Perhaps this wouldn't as difficult as she expected. "Tell us all you know about this Bellatrix Lestrange."

Remus cocked an eyebrow at that one. It wasn't what he expected would be the first thing they would want information on. "What do you want to know about her? And why? Not because I won't tell you, but because I'm curious."

Tsunade leaned forward in her seat, her fingers in front of her and brow furrowing. "Everything you know about her. Her past, her habits, her powers. As to why: I have had two platoons of ANBU search the ruins and area around Orochimaru's latest base of operation. I even had to request a mission under an alias to have one of my spies in the Hidden Mist Village leave and investigate with his submarine summons. They never found her body, making us believe she might still be alive and taking precautions accordingly."

Remus frowned. He did not like the sound of that at all. But he could easily understand their concern. If there were doubts about whether Bellatrix indeed was killed, it was a threat they should not let go unheeded. He shook his head slightly, trying to clear his thoughts. He was indeed thinking like a shinobi now.

"Bellatrix Lestrange, née Black, is a forty-seven year old pureblood."

Kakashi frowned. "Pureblood? Like in a clan?"

Lupin shook his head in the negative. "Yes and no. Our families, or clans as you call them, differ greatly from yours. Our pureblood families don't have unique powers like your clans have. Pureblood refers to them being born to two magical parents." Two confused shinobi were looking back at him. "Magical refer to them being able to harness chakra." Now that got looks of understanding and Remus decided to make an example, not completely sure if what he said was right. "We have the purebloods, half-bloods and muggle-born. In your terms, half-bloods would be shinobi with one shinobi parent and one civilian while muggle-born would a shinobi born to two civilian parents. However, being muggle-born doesn't mean they are inferior to purebloods when it comes to power and skills."

Tsunade and Kakashi nodded, understanding it perfectly. Gai was born to two civilians, yet there were few pureblood clan members that could match him in a fight. Minato was another good example on what Remus described as being a half-blood. Seeing they were following him this far, Lupin continued.

"Bellatrix joined an organization called the Death Eaters. The Death Eaters were led by a man that called himself Lord Voldemort." Lupin noticed recognition of the name in Kakashi's eye. "I see you have heard the name Kakashi?" A quick nod was all he needed, but Tsunade wasn't following, so he hurried up to explain. "Voldemort has a lot in common with Orochimaru. As a matter of fact, one could call him my people's equivalent to yours Orochimaru. In any case, at some time in the past, Voldemort and Orochimaru were partners. Orochimaru managed to create cloaks that mask your presence, scent and any sound you might make. I think he called them Ghost Cloaks or something like that."

Tsunade frowned. She was indeed getting vital information, but… "I'm sorry, but I fail to see what her being a pureblood has to do with anything."

Lupin sighed. "As I said, being muggle-born doesn't mean you are inferior to purebloods in magical power or skill. Well, the Death Eaters and Voldemort believe otherwise. Two times they have tried to, in their own words, purge our society for every muggle-born. Of course, some resisted. I was part of a secret organization, the Order of the Phoenix, with no ties to our government, and we fought the advances and thwart the plans of the Death Eaters to the best of our abilities. Needless to say, the Death Eaters did not take that too well. They killed everyone who resisted them, even some who didn't, without regard of them being purebloods." He took a deep breath, wishing for some water to soothe his dry throat. "Bellatrix Lestrange was, and still is, the most loyal of Voldemort's servants and the most vicious of them. She enjoys torturing her prisoners and has, even when Voldemort seemed to be defeated, tortured people to the point they are just shadows of their former selves… they don't even recognize their own son… all in her devotion to Voldemort."

Kakashi frowned. That description pretty much fit the picture he had made of her, only much worse. Still, he was getting a bad feeling about this. "So in short: She is a fanatic, sadistic sociopath with insane ideals and beliefs?"

Remus suppressed a snort of laughter. "She would torture you into the next century if she heard you say that… but it sounds like her."

Kakashi mentally groaned. He had dealt with a fair share of sociopaths and fanatics in the past, and he had learnt they were often some of the most dangerous and unpredictable foes he had encountered. He would rather fight Hidan. His jutsu was devastating and gruesome, but at least he was predictable and dumb like few. He shook his head, just in time to hear Tsunade's next question.

"Remus-san, do you know anything about her plans?"

Remus frowned in thought, but Kakashi answered that question for him. "She wants to bring this Voldemort back." Two heads turned sharply in his direction, Remus cursing under his breath, and Kakashi answered the unasked questions before Tsunade could open her mouth. "I overheard Orochimaru and Bellatrix talking about it. It seems Bellatrix had a deal with Orochimaru: His aid in bringing back Voldemort for her skills. But unfortunately, I have no idea on how she plans on doing that."

Tsunade bit her lip, her worry mirrored by Remus, though for two different reasons. Remus was probably most worried that this Voldemort should return while Tsunade worried about having a second Orochimaru running around. Learning he was alive after the rumours of his demise by the hands of Sasuke Uchiha was disturbing enough, not to mention the constant threat from the Akatsuki. And Kabuto was still on the loose. The search team had encountered him, but he had escaped them, leaving only a book with intelligence on various Akatsuki members behind. This Bellatrix was turning to make things quite bothersome.

"Very well. We will take this into account. Now… what can you tell about her powers?"

Remus sighed. "As Voldemort's most devoted soldier, she is a quite skilled fighter and she have deep knowledge of the Dark Arts."

Tsunade frowned. "Dark Arts?"

Remus sighed again, silently reprimanding himself for not speaking in terms understandable for the shinobi. "The Dark Arts and dark magic are labelled as such because of their nature and power. I know this sound hard to believe for a society such as yours, but the three worst things one can do where I'm from is taking away one's free will, inflict pain on another or kill someone. There are three curses that do that, and each of them earns you a one-way ticket to Azkaban, the prison I spend one year in. The curses are the Imperious Curse with the incantation 'Imperio' that puts you under the caster's complete control unless you can cast it off you; The Cruciatus Curse, or Torture Curse, the spell for it is 'Crucio' and lastly the Killing Curse 'Avada Kedavra'."

Tsunade's frown deepened and the same did Kakashi's. "That is fine and all, but how do we distinguish them from each other?"

Remus closed his eye. "The Killing Curse comes in the form of a green jet. But as for the rest of her spells, or jutsu performed with her wand, better stay clear of their path. Several spells and curses have the same colour, but the effects are way different."

Kakashi nodded his understanding. He was already more than familiar with the Cruciatus Curse, courtesy of Orochimaru. Still, they needed to know more about her. "Please continue."

Remus nodded. "As I said the Dark Arts or dark magic are labelled as such because of their nature and power. But of course, some of them are just very powerful combined with people's lack of knowledge and irrational fear." He took a deep breath. "Bellatrix performed a dark ritual called Dark Blood Rebirth and Recreation." Two very confused shinobi. "Blood magic. Very powerful, very dark. I don't know all of the details for the ritual, but it essentially divides your life force into two: One resides in your real body, the other in an artificial. Should the life force residing in your real body get destroyed, the one in the artificial body will bring the artificial body to life. The ritual has to be repeated every fifty years or so."

Tsunade did not like the sound of that. "So… she is immortal?"

Remus shook his head. "Not if I remember correctly. Kill her now, and she is dead for good. And even if I'm wrong, you will know it soon after. Bellatrix isn't the type that keeps quiet for long. She will be out for revenge."

Tsunade nodded and leaned forward. "I see. And you don't think there is any chance she will try to bring back Orochimaru?"

Both men shook their heads. Kakashi spoke first. "I doubt it. Despite some shows of affections, they had no fond feelings for each other."

Remus shuddered at the mental image of Orochimaru and Bellatrix showing each other affections before giving his reply. "Bellatrix has showed more devotion and affection towards Voldemort than her own husband. Despite their similarities, Orochimaru and Voldemort are two different men… if you can call them that. I doubt that is going to change."

Tsunade sighed and leaned back, processing what she had heard so far. Turning her gaze towards the ANBU operative, she came to decision. "I want you to write down everything Remus-san has told us about Bellatrix Lestrange, no matter if what he has said makes sense to you or not. Make a profile on her in our Bingo Book. She is to be considered as S-rank and you will have a standing order to destroy her on sight." The ANBU gave nod to show his understanding. "You may leave. I have something I want to discuss with Lord Hatake and Remus-san in private."

"Yes ma'am."

With that he left, and Tsunade turned to the two men, levelling them both with a sharp stare. Rarely beating around the bush, the Hokage went straight to it. "Remus-san, we need you to tell us everything about werewolves. Their strengths and weaknesses. We need to know if we are to come up with a counter against the threat of those werewolves Orochimaru created… and you, should it come to it."

Remus shifted in his seat, suddenly quite nervous. He had expected that topic coming up, but it didn't mean he was looking forward or comfortable with it. But he knew it was necessary, for those very reasons she had given him. He remembered having a similar talk with Sirius and James before they began their full moon romps, making them promise they would knock him out or, if necessary, kill him, should he get too close to another human or out of control. Taking a deep breath, he began.

"Werewolves, while transformed, are hard to kill. The fur protects them from most spells and curses and most projectiles. And even if a knife or arrow should get through the fur, it has to travel through compact layers of muscle and tissues before reaching any vital organs." He paused, ignoring Moony's warning growls. "I suppose their only weak spots are around the eyes and snout." He eyed Tsunade carefully, a frown marring his face. "Lady Hokage, I implore you that your men only gets in my wolf-form's path should I become a threat. I'm an Alpha werewolf, meaning I belong in the strongest and most dangerous class of werewolves. An Alpha werewolf's senses, strength, stamina and speed are rivalled by very few creatures where I'm from. And my wolf is extremely smart for his kind, even when controlled by his blood lust and rage."

Tsunade stared with a frown creasing her brow. "So you are basically saying our weapons won't have too much effect on you once transformed? Even silver ones?"

At this Remus laughed outright. To think he would have to deal with that superstition even here. "Silver? That is a pure myth. Silver will only kill a werewolf if you can pump his blood full with it, the poisoning killing it. But slicing it over and over again with a silver dagger will just annoy and enrage it. And you do not want that to happen."

If possible, Tsunade's frown deepened. "I see. What about bites?"

Remus noticed how Kakashi seemed to tense up and he himself couldn't deny this change in direction unsettled him quite a bit. But one look at Tsunade's face told him he was going to answer to the question no matter what. A face he remembered seeing on Minerva McGonagall's face more than once. Summoning all his strength, he forced his voice to stay calm.

"A werewolf bite transfers the virus to whoever bitten. There is no cure. As for wounds inflicted by its claws: They will heal, but even with spells, potions and herbs, they will be visible for months."

Tsunade nodded. "I see." She eyed Kakashi and gave him a look that clearly said to tell him or she would. He gave a grim short nod in response to her look and Tsunade spoke up again. "Remus-san, Kakashi has something to tell you."

Lupin didn't know why, but the wording unsettled him. Turning his head, his one eyed gaze met the other man's. Steeling himself for whatever was to come, Remus placed a small friendly smile on his face.

Kakashi sighed. The smile was not completely sincere, and truth be told, he wasn't sure he wanted to have this conversation now. Then again, not having it would mean he would have to meet the full moon unprepared. And that, ladies and gentlemen, was not something that sat well with Kakashi. Knowing there was no easy way to break it, Kakashi steeled himself for whatever response he would get.

"During our capture by Orochimaru, he decided it would be funny to have a little game of cat-and-mouse game… or rather… werewolf-and-shinobi game." The smile had vanished from Remus' face and he was going paler by the second. Kakashi moved on, knowing Remus wouldn't like the rest. "In your werewolf form, you chased Naruto and me. You wounded Naruto with your claws before I got him away. You proceeded to fight Kisame and me on equal ground… or rather, you forced us on the run. The fight ended with Kisame taking you on trip through the roof… but not before you managed to bite me."

Kakashi couldn't remember anytime he had seen anybody as pale as Remus was at the moment. Not even Orochimaru or Sai. Then his face became a mask of horror and devastation, and both shinobi noticed how Lupin's breath was coming in pained gasps. It only got worse when he raised his hand to his heart, clutching his robe.

"Remus, breathe! Remus, calm down. Deep breaths!"

"Remus-san, listen to our voices! Take deep breaths! Remus-san! Damnit, he is hyperventilating!"

That was the last Remus Lupin heard before he blacked out.

00000

"I don' think that was acting on his part, Tsunade-sama."

"I agree Kakashi. I never enunciated otherwise."

Voice croaking, Remus spoke up. "Water… please." Tsunade nodded and handed him a glass of water. "Thank you. " Looking around, he noticed he was in the same room he first woke up in when arriving. "What happened?"

Kakashi leaned against the window and let out a sigh. "You hyperventilated and had a seizure. You have been out for seven hours… although that could be because of the sedatives." He chuckled humourlessly. "The amount of sedatives used to keep you calm could have knocked out a Bijuu."

Tsunade rolled her eyes, saving Remus from replying. "Don't exaggerate Kakashi." She turned to Remus with a slight frown. "Although I have to admit you should have been unconscious for at least another two hours."

Remus nodded his head and instantly regretted it. His head felt like a horde of Hagrid's hippogriffs were tap-dancing or something. Leaning back against the pillows, he allowed his eye to wander in the familiar hospital room. The only difference was the IV and heart monitor. Closing his eye, he tried recalling the events before hyperventilating. He remembered them talking about Bellatrix, but not the following conversation.

"Ehm… sorry, but I can't remember what we were discussing. I remember talking about Bellatrix but not so much after that."

Tsunade and Kakashi looked at each, clearly having a silent debate on who should be the one to tell him why he blacked out in the first place. In the end, Tsunade lost. "We were talking about your capture by Orochimaru and how you fought Kisame Hoshigaki and Kakashi in your wolf-form and how the fight ended. Remus-san, you bit Kakashi despite the suppression collar around his throat."

Remus' eye widened and he felt bile rising in his throat as he started to panic. It was his worst fear coming true. People often who knew of his lycanthropy assumed his boggart took the form of the full moon because he feared it would be his last. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Remus wasn't afraid of dying. He never was, nor would he ever be. No, he feared the full moon because there was always a risk he would bite an innocent or pass on the curse of lycanthropy. He remembered having the same feeling with the twins and later on Teddy. Before him, there were only two werewolves who had children, and only one each. One child got off free, the other was not so lucky. And the one who became a werewolf didn't start showing symptoms before his teens before turning when he came of age. In short, there had been no telling if his children would bear the same burden as him.

And now he had, despite everything he had done, bitten someone. And one he had started to consider a friend no less! Had he been back home, he would have been shipped off to Azkaban to serve twenty-five years… if he was really lucky.

"No, no, NO! God, what have I done! I have…!"

He was cut off by Tsunade who placed a hand on his forehead, her hand pulsing with green energy. Looking directly into his eye, she spoke to Remus with a stern but not unfriendly voice.

"What is done is done, Remus-san. You can't change the past, and self-reproach won't change it either. Kakashi doesn't blame you for what happened, and neither do I." She paused, glancing at the heart monitor. When she had told him what their latest topic had been, his blood pressure and pulse had gone through the roof. Not only that, but some black chakra had started flaring, and although it didn't do any damage, Tsunade wasn't taking any risks. So it was with quite a bit of relief and satisfaction when her calming chakra stopped the black chakra and Lupin's pulse and blood pressure started going down to more normal levels. She met Remus' gaze again.

"During your trial, you said this to me_: 'Tell me, Hokage, right now, what makes you any different from the ones hating werewolves back where I'm from? How would you have reacted to me being a werewolf had I told you earlier? Would you act on ignorance and prejudice and scream for my blood to be spilled or would you bother to try to understand?'_ Those were your exact words I have been thinking long and hard about that question and here is my answer: For far too long ignorance and prejudice have festered in the world of shinobi, blinding us to what should really matter, giving ground to hatred and suffering to grow in in turn. While you are not a Jinchuuriki in the traditional sense of the word, you are close enough to being one. Jinchuuriki are more often than not treated the same, no matter the village. They are met with ignorance and prejudice. It would seem that goes for your home as well."

She took a deep breath, noticing how she had Remus' full attention and a quick glance at the heart monitor showed her he had calmed down considerably. "I cannot promise you that you will see your home again, so I won't. Nor can I promise you that you will be accepted by all in this village or by those where you are from. But like with rings in the water, someone has to start them. And eventually, those rings will spread over the entire lake. I would like to be the one who starts those rings."

She paused again and noticed how Remus' had attained an almost normal heart rate. "As I said, what's done is done. You can't change the past by actions, and blaming yourself for what happened won't change it either. What you can do, however, is to strive to make a better future."

Remus looked long and hard into Tsunade's eyes, not truly believing his ears. They were essentially forgiving him, when he himself could not. He supposed it had something to do with their culture, but Tsunade spoke with wisdom that few back home in the Wizarding world possessed, despite them being older than the Hokage. And it wasn't the first time he had heard that little speech about past, blame and future. Dumbledore said something along the same lines to him on several occasions. Although he doubted Tsunade would like being compared to one twice her age. Still meeting the Hokage's gaze, Remus spoke softly, hoping she could hear his sincerity.

"Thank you, Lady Hokage. You have showed kindness and wisdom that few I have met possess. I cannot lie and say I forgive myself, but I will do my best to help." Nodding Tsunade removed her hand, and almost instantly, Lupin found his pulse and blood pressure rise to unhealthy levels. Taking a deep breath, knowing he would have to be calm for the following, he began meditating and sorting through his memories and thoughts, calming his body and mind. When he opened his eye again, he was slightly surprised to see his pulse had lowered to a level that could pass for him just waking up. Turning his head, he looked at Kakashi.

"I can guess you have a lot of questions. But I would like to ask you one first: Have you had a high fever recently?" Kakashi nodded. "I see. That fever was caused by the werewolf virus, a virus called Lycan, rewriting your DNA. Can I get my wand?" Another nod and Remus was holding the powerful piece of wood. Giving a nonchalant wave and a 3D picture of a DNA cord (like one finds in biology books) appeared. "This is normal DNA string. The Lycan virus goes in and rips it apart," a dark cloud appeared and tore the bindings from each other, "and forces the DNA string to accept it in order for it to mend." The dark cloud became a link between the pieces. "Once there, it is, so far at least, impossible to remove."

Kakashi nodded as Remus erased the 3D picture. "I keep having images… hallucinations... invade my mind, day and night. I first had one during our escape from Orochimaru's stronghold, but lately, they have been more intense and harder to ignore. They show you fighting, a burning house, to name a few."

Remus' breath hitched in his throat and it took all of his willpower to stop the tears from flowing. It had been eighteen years, but it still hurt like it was yesterday. Taking a few calming breaths, Remus steeled himself. "They are not hallucinations… they are memories. My memories, to be exact. They were transferred via the Lycan virus." Two confused looks and Remus sighed. "In most cases, the only memories that will be transferred are memories where the wolf and human part experienced strong emotions together. Emotions like rage and sorrow. Especially rage."

Tsunade frowned. "Earlier you mentioned something about you being in the Alpha category? Will that make Kakashi an Alpha as well?"

Now it was Remus turn to frown, and he noticed how Kakashi tensed up in anticipation as he scrutinized him. When he spoke, his voice was slow, as if he was not sure of his words himself.

"I'm not sure. There are two factors that play an essential part. One is the category of the werewolf who bit you. The other is your age." He paused, contemplating his words. "The wolf will grow as you grow… physically that is. The younger you are, the more you grow." He paused again, frown deepening. "You were bitten by an Alpha and are in your thirties. My guess would be you would be a Beta-minus or Beta-plus." He sighed. "Not that it makes it any better."

Tsunade's frown deepened and Kakashi followed suit. Kakashi spoke up, having an idea. "I have a guess on why it doesn't make it any better. In the realms of animals, two males will fight for a female or territory. If the gap between them in strength and size are too great, the smaller and weaker one will retreat. However, if the two rivals are equal in size and strength, they will continue to fight till one backs down, sometimes, although rarely, ending in the death of one of them." Remus nodded. "Remus-san, assuming your estimation is correct, how big is the gap between us?"

Remus sighed, a rueful look on his face. "Not big enough I'm afraid. If we go from strongest to weakest, we have Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta. All categories but Alpha have minus and plus."

Kakashi sighed, a somewhat grim look in his eye. "So it might end in a death match?"

'_I'm looking forward to it. After all, turning him was my plan since I failed to kill him back then._'

Lupin refrained from cursing Moony out loud. He should have known Moony would have a back-up plan. Instead, he nodded to Kakashi's question. "Sadly, yes."

Kakashi nodded, being happy he had already made his precautions for tomorrow night. "Alright. Is there anything else I can expect or should know about? Aside from my body transforming?"

Remus' brow furrowed, and for a minute the two ninja thought he wasn't going to answer. "I don't know if it will make a big difference for you, but usually, your five senses will increase gradually; so will your strength, speed and stamina. Also, back where I'm from, you will get some resistance to jutsu, not to mention more power behind those you cast. But seeing how different our jutsu aren't from yours, I can't be sure. Lastly, you must exercise inhuman control over your emotions. Especially rage. Something that will be much harder near full moon."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. That didn't sound too bad in his ears. And considering his past with the ANBU, he doubted control of his emotions would be problem. Still, he was curious. It would definitely explain his outburst during his little discussion and why he had seemed so irritated the past week. "What happens if I should lose control of my rage?"

Remus refrained from sighing. He had done that too much for his liking. "What I'm about to is controlled. It can get much worse." He looked at the telly in the corner and focused. Both Tsunade and Kakashi followed his gaze, but they couldn't hide their surprise completely when the TV exploded. Almost lazily, Remus waved the wand and TV repaired itself. Good thing too, for Tsunade looked she was about to complain having to replace it. "That was controlled. Had I lost control, I could have set the entire room on fire."

Kakashi nodded. That explained much. However, one thing was puzzling him. "Remus-san, if being a werewolf improves your senses, strength, speed and stamina, and gives you a resistance to your jutsu, then how come werewolves are so hated? One would think people would want to become werewolves.

Remus laughed, but it was filled with bitterness and without humour. "Another difference between our cultures I suppose. I can easily see your logic and even understand it. But my people have a completely different relationship to death compared to yours. While you accept death as something inevitable and as something as natural as falling asleep, my people consider it as something unnatural and even fear it. Of course there are exceptions, but that is the general picture."

Tsunade cocked an eyebrow. The fact that there were people out there that considered death unnatural was mindboggling. But as Remus said, there were exceptions. "I'm sorry Remus-san, but I fail to see the relevance."

Remus nodded. "Figured as much. Where I come from, it isn't unnatural for people to, unless something happens of course, to live past hundred or hundred-fifty years. I think the record, without use of any life prolonging materials, were 177 years." He sighed. "After being bitten, a lycanthrope should not expect to live more than forty years, fifty at best. The stress the monthly transformations put on the body is too great, not to mention the unfair trade of damage. You wound the wolf, you wound the man too. Wound the man, and the wolf goes free. In short, once I transform, my wolf-form will both eyes working perfectly while when I transform back, I will only have one eye." He closed his eye for half a minute before speaking again. "Another reason werewolves are despised is because when transformed, the werewolf will attack any human, even your best friend. Lastly, many believe they will become lycanthrope like one gets a cold. Years of propaganda and lack of common sense are to blame for that one." He met the two ninjas' gazes. "I don't mean to be rude, but do you have anything else you want to ask me?" They shook their heads. "Very well. If you will excuse me but I would like to rest. Kakashi, I will advise you to do the same. The first full moons are always the worst."

"Goodbye, Remus-san." Kakashi said, ignoring Tsunade's comment about the teamwork between him and advised rest before she bid Remus goodbye. As they were walking down the silent halls of the corridor, Kakashi shifted his gaze to glance at Tsunade. "How long have you known?"

His voice was so low that Tsunade would have missed it had there been more people milling around. But seeing how they were only people there, she heard him perfectly. "Known what?"

Flicking a page in his Icha-Icha book, Kakashi checked if someone were hiding in the corridor. He didn't detect any so he found it safe to continue. "That I'm werewolf now."

Tsunade sighed. Both out of annoyance that Kakashi was reading that book in front of her but also of tiredness. And a bit of amusement as well. Jiraiya's stupid books were the closest thing that made Kakashi truly relax. Knowing that Kakashi had already checked if they were alone, Tsunade glanced at him before answering his question in a lowered voice.

"Since the trial, though I suspected it before. While you were unconsciousness, I had the medics take various blood samples and had several Hyuuga clan members performing scans of your chakra network. Both told me something strange. You were developing a secondary chakra system like Remus-san. Not only that, but there was something in your blood that weren't there when compared to previous samples. Something they also found in Remus-san's blood. It was too much of a coincidence. Then there was your strange silence and all of your efforts in that trial."

Kakashi turned another page in his book. "If you knew all along, why didn't you call me out on it earlier?"

At that question Tsunade snorted. To her, it was obvious why she hadn't. "Kakashi, I have known you since you were in diapers. If I had pressed the matter, you would just have become even more tight-lipped. So why bother? Although after this little chat, perhaps I should have." They reached the entrance to the hospital. "Kakashi."

Looking up from his book briefly, Kakashi noticed how the rain clouds played with the colours of the sunset. "Yes, Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade glanced around before looking at Kakashi. "Remember what I told Remus-san about past, blaming yourself and making a better future?" Kakashi looked up from his book and nodded, although tentatively. "It goes for you as well."

Kakashi lowered his book, looking at Tsunade as if she were stupid. "I'm trying to make a better future. Naruto…"

Tsunade held up a hand, silencing him. "That is not what I meant Kakashi, and you know it. I meant that you should try making a better future for yourself as well." Her eyes and voice softened. "It has been many years since they died, Kakashi. None of them would want you to beat yourself up over things you had no control over. Not Obito, not Rin, not Minato. Kakashi, I know you don't want to hear this, and will disagree with me, but: It's time to let them go… time for you to start healing without constantly ripping up the old wounds."

"But Naruto…"

"Naruto will need you to recover from this, Kakashi… and you will need him. You are good for each other; one would have to be blind or daft to say otherwise." She paused before speaking again. "Let them go, Kakashi. The dead have no use of your regret, only the knowledge that you are happy. There is however a teenage boy who needs you. Your experience and wisdom for advice, your protection and the comfort you can give him. Naruto needs those things Kakashi, but you need someone to remind you of the hope of a better future."

With that she walked away, leaving a somewhat baffled and disturbed Kakashi behind. Closing his book with a sigh, the great Copy-Ninja looked into the sky as a small drizzle started, pondering Tsunade's words. Perhaps it was time for him to let go and move on.

00000

Kakashi might be calm on the outside, but on the inside, as much as he hated to admit it, he was nervous. His bones had been aching for the last couple of days, and he was still mulling over Tsunade words. Even now, as he was sitting with only a couple of charmed boxers that would appear on him when he transformed back to human, courtesy of Remus, that little voice of his Hokage kept repeating the words she had said the day before.

Glancing around the cage he had Tenzou make for him in the woods behind the Hatake Mansion, he couldn't help but wondering if it would be enough. He had seen what Remus was capable of in wolf-form and he feared that he, despite the cage's design, would be able to smash it and escape. And the fact that Naruto was on a date with Sakura only managed to soothe his worries a little. Looking at the young man at the treeline, he started second-guessing how smart it was having him here. But his line of thought was cut short when his entire body tensed up and an extreme wave of nausea washed over him. Unable to hold it back, Kakashi emptied his stomach.

"Kakashi-san, you alright?"

Kakashi heaved a few times. He didn't think he had ever felt so sick. His bones hurt and he felt as if his blood was boiling. "I have been better, but Neji, stay back." He had barely spoken the last words before he was bathed in silver light. Looking up, he found the source: The full moon. "So it begins."

Then, his entire body exploded in pain and he couldn't stop the screams of agony as his first transformation into a werewolf began.

End chapter 21.

AN: Yeah, I know I promised this chapter would be Kakashi's transformation, but then I realized I needed to explain a lot of things such as the difference between adoption and enrollment into a clan, Hatake Mansion, Naruto's condition (which will be addressed a bit more in chapter 22) and perhaps most important: Give Kakahsi some information about werewolves. I simply cannot see him enter his transformation without having some information. Besides, I thought we needed some comic relief.

I originally planned to give you chapter 21 and 22 in one go, or with one week in between, but then I probably wouldn't be able to update this story before October.

Hope you enjoyed.


	22. Chapter 22

Thanks to all those who have read my story so far and reviewed and added to favorites and alert. A few warnings for this chapter. This chapter contains mentions of what some consider underage drinking and mentions of corporal punishment in the form of spanking. Constructive criticism appreciated. Now, fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride.

Chapter 22: Howls in the Night. Moony and Silvertooth Unleashed!

Kakashi had once been told that one pain would dull another. Well, right now, his world was pure agony. But he had enough coherent thought to vow that if he ever found whoever said that about one pain dulling another, he was going to shove that person's head up somewhere the sun doesn't shine so he could get a taste of his own… his line of thought was cut off as a new wave of agony washed over him.

One thing was certain though: The pain from having his ribcage expand did nothing to dull the pain from his muscles removing themselves from their rightful places as they ripped, grew in size and changed form before settling as every bone in his body, ranging from the great femurs to the small bones in his ears broke and reformed themselves. He had trouble breathing and he felt his heart skip several beats as they expanded alongside his ribcage.

When his screams became mixed with howls, Kakashi didn't know, but he could easily understand why no sane person would want being a werewolf. The perks were simply not worth this amount of pain. For once in his life when faced with pain, Kakashi was not sure whether to bless or curse his anti-torture training while in ANBU. Bless it because he was able to think despite the pain, or curse it because it stopped him from slipping into blissful unconsciousness and kept him aware just exactly where he hurt: Which were everywhere.

His teeth and nails were elongating and sharpening, and Kakashi felt power surging through him, making his blood boil, and his chakra running amok. He had never opened more than a few of the Eight Gates, but the amount of chakra flowing through him right now easily surpassed the first three gates.

Kakashi grabbed his head as he heard his own heartbeat and blood coursing through his body like a violent river, every beat of his heart sounding like a clasp of thunder. His skin was stretching and fur was sprouting, covering his entire body.

He was hardly screaming anymore, mostly howling and Kakashi was barely aware that he could smell all the smells of the forest, hear the mice running away from a hungry owl or that his vision was changing from colour vision to black-white vision, making him see everything in greyish shades.

To Kakashi, it felt like hours. But in reality, it was hardly more than five minutes. And he could only watch through the wolf's eyes as Silvertooth rose for the first time, howling towards the full moon. But the moment he realized he was trapped in a cage, Silvertooth let out a roar of rage.

The werewolf could smell a human nearby, and his hunger and lust for blood were on the rise. He could smell the human's anxiety, hear his heartbeat and blood flowing in his veins. Snarling, Silvertooth rammed his shoulder into the nearest wall. It didn't budge, but Silvertooth growled with increasing anger as he felt something poking through his skin. That anger soon turned to hellish fury as he rammed into the cage's other sides with increasing force, only to be rewarded with more pokes in his shoulder. Letting out another roar of rage, Silvertooth started pacing the cage, seeking a weak spot. Five minutes later, and Silvertooth's growling filled the night. His prey was so close that he could taste it. He had tried smashing the wooden cage to smithereens a few times, but the solid bars hardly budged. Not only that, but those puny pokes were getting most annoying. But just then, Silvertooth spotted it: A weak point. Letting out a howl and roar of triumph, Silvertooth set to work.

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Neji watched on in mixture of fascination and horrification as Kakashi transformed, his Byakugan not missing a single detail. He saw how every bone and muscle in his sensei's self-proclaimed Eternal Rival broke, changed and mended themselves. However, those changes weren't what interested Neji the most. No, what interest him the most were the reactions in Kakashi's chakra network the moment his body was bathed in the full moon's light. The second chakra network that was so like the one in Remus Lupin had so far been barely visible, even to Neji's Byakugan, flared up with dark chakra. It was so dark and intense that Neji had a hard time believing it. It was as black as a winter night without any stars or moon. Not to mention the amount of it.

"What an insane amount of chakra. It has even more than that Akatsuki member. Unbelievable."

Neji's eyes narrowed as he focused his Byakugan's piercing gaze. A moment later, they widened in surprise. The suppression collar burst as Kakashi's neck grew, but that was not what surprised him; it had been damaged after all. What surprised him was what he saw in the beast's fur. Every single hair was packed with chakra till point its fur were 85% chakra, 15% normal hair. But there was one thing that drew his attention above everything else.

The normal chakra network was giving off an almost blinding white light, while the black chakra network was sending out tendrils that was latching on to the white chakra network, tapping into it. But unlike with those who had a Curse Seal where the tendrils would spread from one point, these were sprouting from every part of the secondary network. The white chakra 'fought' valiantly, but was soon overrun by the mass of dark chakra. But with his Byakugan's, Neji could trace a sliver of white chakra among the black in the two chakra networks.

As the werewolf stood on its hind legs, Neji estimated it to be between 2,10-2,15 high, and covered in black fur with silver streaks in it and with its amber eyes and yellow-white teeth, it was a both frightening and fascinating creature.

Neji could feel his anxiety rise as the werewolf started assaulting the cage, with no regard of the wooden spikes littering the crisscrossing bars. If someone had told Neji he would be facing his sensei's 'Eternal Rival' transformed into a wolf-like monster three weeks ago, he would have told them to lay off on the saké and get a mentality check by Inoichi Yamanaka. Now however, he would listen with rapt attention.

His unease grew when the werewolf started clawing and gnawing at some bars where the space between them was just a little bit bigger than the rest. It had soon created a space where it could get its 'arms' through. And that was with effort. Neji frowned as the werewolf started pressing forward the moment its paws connected with the ground on the other of the cage.

'It won't get through. Its shoulders are too broad.'

Neji was right. The moment it tried getting its shoulders through, the werewolf was stuck, and after a minute of trying to force its way through like that, it let out roar of anger and frustration.

Neji felt a shiver run down his spine as the werewolf stared right at him, its bloodlust clear in its amber eyes. The young Hyuuga prodigy had stared down a fair share of enemy shinobi during his career, but nothing compared to the gaze this creature was giving him. It promised mutilation should it ever get its claws on him.

*Creak.*

Neji frowned. He had heard that sound before, but where?

*Creak.*

It was louder this time, but Neji couldn't recall where he had heard that sound before.

*Creak… crack!*

Neji's eyes widened when he realized why the sound was too familiar. It was the sound of tree creaking before it reached its cracking point. And a closer look only confirmed Neji's suspicions: The bars were cracking under the pressure caused by the werewolf. And seeing how the wood wasn't the most flexible, the entire side of the cage was being affected by the werewolf's monstrous strength.

A pearl of sweat ran down Neji's face as he recalled his conversation with Kakashi almost two weeks ago.

-Flashback start.-

The evening sun was shining through the windows in the Hatake Mansion's living room. Kakashi was sitting on the couch, the cloak from earlier lying beside him. Smiling, the newly installed Clan Head greeted the young Hyuuga. "Good evening Neji-kun. Please, have a seat."

Bowing, Neji sat down in one of the chairs. "Evening, Lord Hatake. What can I do for you?"

Kakashi frowned. "For starters, you can stop calling me Lord Hatake. It makes me feel old."

Neji bowed his head again. "Very well, Kakashi-sama."

Kakashi sighed. Going from laid-back, to business like, Kakashi leaned forward, his voice silent. "Neji-kun, I have a mission for you. It will be an A-rank mission which will be paid in advance."

Neji cocked an eyebrow, his curiosity prodded. It was rare, but not unheard of, for Clan Heads to request missions of that high ranking of fellow shinobi. Inter-village missions of that high ranking was usually escort mission where the requesting part thought they had a traitor among them or believed the protection they were able to provide wouldn't be enough. Slowly a suspicion started forming in Neji's mind and his gaze narrowed.

"Kakashi-sama, does this mission entail me watching over Naruto from a distance?"

Kakashi simply shook his head. "Not at all Neji-kun; this has nothing to do with Naruto. If that was the case, I have more than enough resources to have him covered. And if I didn't, all I would have to do was asking the Hokage for some help. Besides, you have already done enough for Naruto. No, this mission is of scientific nature." He regarded Neji for a moment. "I need to know if you accept the mission or not before I reveal the details. It is very sensitive information that I wish to keep secret for as long as possible, and as such, you cannot reveal the information till I give the clear or something happens. Do you accept the mission?"

Neji contemplated his answer. It was a lot of money and, knowing of Kakashi's reputation, he probably had a good reason. "I accept."

Kakashi nodded. "On the first night of the full moon, I will need you here to observe me. My body and mind are going to change quite dramatically, and, most likely, I won't be able to remember anything. What I need you to do is observe physiological changes in anatomy, weak spots and behaviour. Those three things will be your main focus, but if you find anything else worth taking notice of, report it."

Neji nodded the affirmative. He knew it had something to do with the mysterious Remus-san, but he wasn't going to pry. "I assume there is more, Kakashi-sama?"

Kakashi cringed at the suffix, but nodded. "Yes. I will be taking my precautions, but should security be breached, it will be your job to either stop me or alert Tsunade and Yamato." His gaze hardened. "Neji, this is very important: Do only attempt to stop me if you are sure you can do it. If you decide to try to stop me, I want your word that you will not hold back; kill me if you must. But under no circumstances must you let me bite you. If you have even the slightest doubt about whether you can take me on, run for the Hokage; it will still count as mission accomplished."

Neji nodded. "You have my word Lord Hatake."

-End flashback-

Neji swallowed as he watched the enraged werewolf, contemplating whether to attack or make a run for it. In its current position, he doubted the werewolf could defend itself very well. Then again, the only thing in range of a Gentle Fist attack was its head, and the young Hyuuga prodigy was in no hurry to get anywhere near those jaws. He could of course use his Air Palm, but would it be powerful enough to kill or would it just enrage the werewolf further?

He didn't get much time to mull over his options, for the next moment there was a great roar and the sound of wood splintering followed by a furious growl and then the sound of paws running. Cursing his own hesitation and realizing that he couldn't dodge the charging beast, Neji instantly went on the defensive.

"Rotation!"

The werewolf ran head first into the rotating wall of chakra and howled as it was thrown back, fur slightly singed. Not wanting it to catch its breath, Neji attacked, hellbent on keeping his word, though he hoped it wouldn't come as far as to killing Kakashi.

"Gentle Fist, Eight Trigrams: 128 Palms! 2 palms! 4 palms! 8 palms! 16 palms! 32 palms! 64 palms! 128 palms!" The werewolf stumbled, but Neji wasn't quite done yet. "Gentle Step: Twin Lion Fists!"

The werewolf howled and flew a few feet backwards as Neji rammed his attack into it, right over its heart, but it was soon back on its feet, baring its teeth at Neji who was frowning.

"Impossible. One cannot train one's internal organs, yet my last attack had no effect at all. But at least I managed to block 128 of its chakra points."

All shinobi have 361 chakra points and if 128 of them were blocked, it usually meant death. But for the werewolf, it hardly mattered. Neji had lost count after 1,000 and he remembered his uncle stating that Remus had more than five times the normal number of chakra points. But if Neji thought he was past getting nasty surprises for the evening, he was wrong. The werewolf let out a roar and the young jounin felt his eyes widen when he saw the points he had just blocked being forcibly opened by the black chakra.

'Not good.'

The next that happened was huge mass of black and silver fur moving at top speed towards him, mouth fully open.

"Rota…!"

He was too slow. The moment he was close enough, Silvertooth rose on his hind legs and swiped at Neji, sending the young Hyuuga jounin sailing through the air, three gashes on the left of his face. But as he sat up, left side of his face red with blood, Neji figured it could have been worse. He might not have gotten his Rotation up at maximum speed and power, but at least it had enough to take the brunt of the attack. If it hadn't, Neji wasn't sure he would have survived. But he soon got other things to worry about. Despite his Byakugan-vision being blurry from the blow, Neji could still tell the werewolf was charging. Knowing that he couldn't beat the creature, Neji took for the trees. Or at least, that was his plan. Unfortunately, Silvertooth had other ideas.

With a snarl, Silvertooth rose on his hind legs and reached out with his right arm, grabbing Neji around the left ankle, snatching him out of the air and bringing the young jounin down with tremendous force, the Hyuuga gasping in pain as he felt his ankle break.

Neji, barely conscious from the blow earlier and his recent impact with the ground, could only watch as the werewolf opened its mouth, ready to bite his head off. But just when Silvertooth's teeth were one inch from Neji's face, the werewolf stopped its movement, ears perking up and turning. At first, Neji couldn't for the life of him figure out why the beast had stopped. Not that he complained as it gave his foggy mind a few more seconds to think of a plan, but he didn't come up with anything. He was a realist and he knew there was very little he could do in this situation. His vision was foggy and he used up quite a bit of chakra. Not to mention the broken ankle. But he couldn't help but being curious about what could possibly be so interesting to hold the werewolf's attention like that; it was as if he was non-existent to the beast. Straining his ears, Neji started listening intently, slowly drowning out the growling of the werewolf looming above him. It was harder than one would expect, as the volume of said werewolf was rising. But once he succeeded, Neji almost wished he hadn't.

They were barely audible, clearly quite a distance from here, but there were no mistaken it: Howls and roars, not unlike the ones Silvertooth had let out, resounded in the night air along with screams. Whatever was going on, it couldn't be good.

Silvertooth growled, identifying the howls as one of his kin. And he could smell him, the wind carrying the scent of the older wolf to him. It was time for Silvertooth to take his place as the dominating wolf and take control of this territory, even if he had to kill the older werewolf to do so. Ignoring panting human in front of him, Silvertooth tilted his head backwards and let out the loudest howl he could manage. Then, he took off at full speed, disappearing among the trees and darkness, and woe to anyone foolish enough to get in his way.

Neji let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. That was far too close for his liking. And though he had a fairly good guess on what had drawn the werewolf's attention, Neji was slightly fearful for how things would turn out should they clash. Especially since he had seen why mid and long range attacks weren't going to be effective against the werewolves. He had barely finished the thought before unconsciousness claimed him.

00000

Remus was quite tense, slightly shivering in the cold corridor, only having his boxers and a blanket over his shoulders. He was being led by two of the ninjas that had been following him since the trial, and being blindfolded did not help at all; nor did their tight grip on his arms. According to them it was to make sure he didn't learn the way out of the ANBU HQ once he transformer; quietly foolish and unnecessary for, as he pointed out to them, once transformed, he didn't remember anything. Hell, he barely remembered anything after reverting back to human. He also remembered telling that to Tsunade when she came to check up on him earlier.

He sighed quietly, fighting back the groan of pain. His bones were aching madly, telling him that the transformation was mere minutes away. At least he didn't have to worry about his wand and the sword he took from Orochimaru, seeing how they both were locked away in Kakashi's library; to keep them safe from the curious and envious as Kakashi put it. Remus wasn't sure, but it seemed Kakashi didn't trust every person in the village. Not that Lupin was complaining of course.

Another worry of his was Kakashi. The silver-haired shinobi might have forgiven him, but he could forgive himself. When he and Tsunade had been visiting earlier, he had asked them if they wanted him to have a look at their precautions for Kakashi's transformation. Both had declined his offer, stating that he needed rest and Kakashi had Yamato on it. Having witnessed the man's unique skills, Remus had nodded his consent, but he had still advised them to add extras security measures to the cage or safe house; something that could dissuade the werewolf from its bids at freedom.

Remus and his escorts entered a room that was oddly damp and with a familiar smell, although Lupin couldn't quite place it. And Remus could smell the four people standing on the ceiling, but his two guards didn't seem to be bothered with them and Lupin wasn't about to draw unwanted attention and suspicion to his persona. Besides, they were probably just some extra guards.

He almost lost his balance as a sharp pain surged through his body. "Two minutes before I transform."

"I see. Good timing then. We are here."

The blindfold was loosened and as Remus removed it, he heard a heavy door being closed and a metal lock click. But when Lupin took in the appearance of the cage he had been placed in, all colour drained from his face, the heavy door and lock the last of his concerns. The cage itself may be have made of massive wood, but its insides had nothing that would even start convincing Moony that attempting to break out would be a good idea. At least the wood in Shrieking Shack was so heavily embedded with all sorts of spells that would make it rather painful for Moony should he try smashing down one of the wall. And now he could place the smell

"It won't hold. It won't hold. It won't hold! Get out before it is too late!"

"Beg your pardon?"

Calming himself, Remus tried again, knowing there was only one minute left. "It won't hold."

Remus could almost see the scowl behind the ANBU with the mask resembling an owl. "This cage was built by the First Hokage. No wood is as strong and durable as the one created by the First."

Thirty seconds left, and in his increasing pain, Remus didn't hear what Owl said. "And I'm telling that it won't be enough! It doesn't matter how good a carpenter the First was! This cage won't be enough to hold me once I transform! I…!"

Whatever he was going to say next drowned out as the moon shone upon him, initiating his transformation, painfully aware that if he had been able to smell the rotten wood, then Moony definitely would be able to as well. And once Moony realized humans were in his presence, he would stop at nothing to get to them; even if it meant tearing the cage apart, splinter by splinter. He just hoped that by the time those ANBU realized their mistake, they would be able to get the hell outta there before their mistake came and bit them in the ass… well, just before they were bit, and that Kakashi had taken better precautions than this.

The painful transformation was complete, and Moony rose to his feet with a growl.

11111

Owl narrowed his eyes, not truly believing the amount of killing intent and feral rage pouring off the beast in the cage. A veteran from the last Great Ninja World War, surviving the Kyuubi attack, the carnage after Itachi run amok and reading the report of the killing of the Third, Owl thought he had seen everything. Yet, he had never seen anyone undergo a transformation like that. It looked like the man hadn't been lying when he told Ibiki that the torture expert would be unable to teach him anything about pain. Glancing to his left, he saw how his kohai was trembling slightly. Then again, if memory served Owl right, his kohai had just joined the ANBU forces one week ago. Still, the young man beside him needed to calm down. It would simply not do to lose one's cool in this situation. But then the beast's eyes focused on the two of them and growled, making the ANBU rookie take a step backwards as the killing intent rose a bit, and Owl decided to change the game plan a bit; his kohai could not complete this observing mission if he was focusing too much on his own fear.

Eyes never leaving the now pacing and sniffing werewolf, Owl spoke so quietly that his kohai almost missed it. "Mouse, go find a Hyuuga, any Hyuuga, and bring him or her here. I will stay."

Mouse nodded, a bit too eagerly for what Owl considered appropriate for a shinobi, before moving towards the door. He got a move on when Moony stopped sniffing one side of the cage, near the bottom, backed to the opposite side of the cage and rammed into the side he had just sniffed.

Owl quirked an eyebrow as he watched the werewolf ramming into the sides of cage, apparently never losing steam as it smashed into the heavy wooden bars. "You can forget about that beastie. This cage has been standing for almost eight decades. You can't simply…"

Owl trailed off as he heard the wood creak under the assault. And soon, the wood was cracking and Owl realized it was only a matter of time before the werewolf would break through when it focused its onslaught on the side to his right. One minute later, the werewolf took another run-up and against the cage's vulnerable side, crashing through it and bringing the rest of the cage with it, only some sharp remains sticking up from the ground. Looking at the pointy remains, Owl's eyes went wide as he realized the beast's plan.

'It smelt the rotten wood near the bases. By attacking each side repeatedly it made them unstable and once it felt one side budging more than the others, it concentrated on that side till it gave in.'

But Owl didn't get to raise the alarm, but he felt a presence behind him just before someone knocked him out.

"Sorry, but you will only complicate our mission if you call for back-up. We will deal with this creature in the best way."

One of his companions landed beside him. "Sho, what are Danzou-sama's instructions?"

Sho looked at the growling werewolf. "Our objective is to eliminate it. Meta, you know what to do."

The third Root operative landed on Sho's left. "Right. Ninja Art: Steel Armour jutsu!" His skin transformed into something similar to a chain mail making him close to indestructible. "I'm ready. Its teeth and claws won't be a problem now, but just in case: Kurai, be ready."

Sho's first companion nodded as he formed seals. "Roger that."

Meta attacked, four kunais at the ready. The werewolf growled and crouched into what Meta assumed was a defensive position. He was wrong. The moment he where within reach, Moony jumped, easily tackling him to the ground, jaws closing near Meta's clavicle, desperately trying to bite and claw his way to the sweet blood. When Moony realized his effort was more or less futile, he roared and tossed the annoying human away. Meta landed with a thud next to his two companions, his beige cloak torn. Groaning, he stood up just in time to see the beast shake its fur, the kunais falling to the ground.

Kurai spoke up, eyes never leaving the werewolf that was moving its jaw in a strange manner. "Meta, can you proceed with the mission?"

Meta stood up, massaging his left shoulder. "Yes. But beware of those jaws. This monster has some serious jaw muscles."

Kurai merely nodded his understanding. "Let's go. Water Element: Water Whip!"

The water jutsu flew towards Moony who snarled as it wrapped around his forearm. "Go, Meta, Sho!"

The two Root agents attacked, Sho in the lead. With a snarl, Moony stood up and swung his left foreleg, pulling Kurai off his feet like he was nothing but a feather. Once free from water jutsu, Moony counterattacked, growling as he aimed for Sho. The two Root operatives jumped out of the way, Meta landing on the wall while Sho landed where Moony stood seconds before. Kurai was back on his feet and he brought out his next trick: A long chain rigged with blades. Throwing it, Karui noticed how Meta was preparing for another attack. But before either Root member could launch their attacks, Moony charged again, bringing him near the pile of rubble and splintered wood, head turning slightly, daring each of them to make the first move. Meta took up that challenge.

He launched himself off the wall, intend on bringing crushing the werewolf's head with his weight. Unfortunately for him, Moony learned from his mistake from before. He was not about to chew on that puny human again. Picking up a particular heavy balk, Moony growled as Meta descended towards him. Ever had a ball coming at while having a bat in your hand? In some cases, you dodge. But in other cases, you hit the bloody ball as hard as you can.

It was pretty much the situation, except that the bat was a six feet long beam and the ball was a human clad in steel armour. Not to mention the player was a 2,20 tall werewolf. The next thing Meta knew was him being hit with rafter and flying into a wall. Wanting to complete the mission as fast as possible, and knowing there was no way they were going to bring it back to Root HQ, Karui threw the chain, having it lodge itself around the werewolf's left wrist. Moony turned as he felt the spikes dig through his hair and growled at Karui.

A slight smirk, Karui pulled in the chain, tightening it. Had he done the same trick with a human enemy, he would have clipped off his foe's hand or at the very least bring him to his knees. Moony, however, let out a roar of anger before swinging with his 'arm' and Karui was, once again, sailing through the air. But this time around, Moony swung his right arm at Karui once he was within reach, his clawed paw connecting with the head of the Root agent. Karui was dead before he even started his descend, neck snapped.

Meta, having recovered from the blow, attacked once again. "Ninja Art: Spiked Arm…!"

He never got to finish, for Moony snatched him out of thin air and brought him down on the stakes protruding the ground, telling exactly where the wood gave in under Moony's assault. Metal might be harder than wood. But metal will still be pierced by wood if brought against the wood with enough force. And Moony put enough force into his swing, taking advantage of his full height and all of his muscle power. Meta never stood a chance, and in the next moment, he was dead, a wooden spike protruding from his chest.

"Lightning Element: Bolt Canon!"

Moony howled as Sho's tech slung him into the wall. But the only thing Sho managed was to enrage him further. With a growl, Moony charged.

"Lightning Element: Bolt Canon!"

But this time, Moony was ready for the ball of electricity coming his way. Snarling, Moony picked up Karui's corpse and tossed it towards the ball of lightning; and unlike with Moony, Karui's body was blasted to pieces. And then Sho made a mistake that would have made Sakura laugh long and hard: Sho took his eyes off the werewolf for two seconds as Karui's arm landed next to him. The next moment, Moony was looming over him and the last thing Sho saw was a mouth full of teeth descending towards him and then unbearable pain as the beast's jaws closed. Moony tore off Sho's head in one move.

With a furious snarl, Moony dropped the headless cadaver and looked around the room. He could smell two humans; one was on the floor while the other was somewhere above him. Growling in frustration, Moony made his way towards where he could smell fresher air, leaving the human bodies behind, his blood thirst sated a bit. Besides, he could smell many more humans nearby. Snarling, Moony easily smashed the door and made his way through the corridors.

Terai frowned behind his mask. That had gone far from planned. But at least, from his position on the ceiling, he had gotten a good recording of the events. "With some manipulations, Danzou-sama should be able to use this to his advantage. And if nothing else, he can plan his next move." He sighed as he took in the corpses of his slain comrades. "But first I need to do some work here."

Sometimes Terai really hated being on clean-up duty. But when he the shouts and alarmed cries of ANBU operatives resounded in ANBU HQ, Terai figured being stuck with clean-up duty was better than facing off with that creature.

What Terai didn't know, however, was that Owl had been conscious for the last couple of minutes, playing possum as to not attract the attention of the werewolf. Once he was sure the Root operative had left, Owl stood up, rubbing his neck.

'As troublesome as it is, I'm not about to let you get away with framing Remus-san for Danzou's own gains. Had you bothered to check on me, you would have realized I wasn't unconscious.' He surveyed the bodies. "As Kakashi-kohai always says, look underneath the underneath. Release!"

There was a shimmer in the air, and the bodies disappeared as Owl removed the genjutsu set up by Terai, leaving not as much as bloodstain behind. But Owl didn't have time to congratulate the Root member on his work, for by the sounds of it, the werewolf was making its way towards the exit. A suspicion that soon was confirmed as Owl took off, sprinting down the corridors that was littered with his fellow ANBU members, most of them groaning and moaning as they clutched wounds or broken arms or other body parts. A few were silent, but when Owl checked them, he was relieved to find them breathing and no bite marks. But he realized that Konoha's streets would turn into a scene from a nightmare should the beast escape the confines of ANBU Headquarters.

Speeding up, Owl drew his sword as the sound of battle and unnatural howls reached his ears. But his arrival on the scene of battle didn't matter, for the moment he rounded the corner, Moony forced his way through the two lines of ANBU agents blocking the exit, smashing the door to splinters and escaping into the dark. Lowering his sword, Owl checked his comrades. Once again, none of them had been killed or bitten, but he had a feeling their luck was about to change. Glancing out in the dark, Owl whispered four words he hadn't spoken out loud since the attack of the Kyuubi.

"God help us all."

00000

Naruto, body still sore, smiled at his date as they walked down the streets of Konoha, chatting and laughing. Naruto still couldn't believe that Sakura had agreed to going on a date with him, though not unconditional.

First off, they were going as friends only. Secondly, Naruto would ask Tenten if she would be his girlfriend.

Naruto remembered being completely floored by that one. He wasn't sure when it started, but Kakashi had brought Team Gai over one day, stating they were going to help with training. Kakashi had admitted he hadn't the longbow for over two decades, but he was clearly a skilled marksman seeing how he hit a coin in mid-air.

His silver-haired sensei/guardian had given him some pointers, mostly on how to stand and aim. And, as Naruto learned the hard way after holding the bow the wrong way, don't let the string hit you when you fire. It hurts like hell. He remembered having Sakura heal his right cheek three times while his left arm needed medical attention around twenty as the string had, in the worst cases, almost peeled off his skin. Sakura didn't complain about having to heal him over and over again, though she did scold him for being careless.

It was around then that Tenten decided to come over and help him, but Naruto had a feeling that was Kakashi's plan all along. What his guardian probably didn't expect was for his charge starting to have a crush on Konoha's weapon mistress. It started with sideways glances, noticing how Tenten's outfit clung to her body. Hey, one does not spend two and a half years with Jiraiya as your only company without it having some consequences. From there, it simply evolved. Though, his daydreams got dangerous when he accidently shot an arrow at Yamato. Needless to say, the Wood Element user was far from happy and muttered something about déjà-vu. Naruto's confusion only rose when he turned around just in time to see Tenten look away, blushing. And he was utterly baffled when Kakashi, Remus and even Gai were giving the two teenagers knowing looks.

The blond Jinchuuriki sighed internally. Even now, he didn't know what to think of the Hatake Mansion's third occupant. He was so like Naruto himself in so many ways, so why wasn't he sure what to think of him? After some time, Naruto realized it pretty much came down to one thing: Fear. He was afraid of Remus Lupin. He was afraid that the monster within the placid man would suddenly explode without any form of warning. He was being irrational, he knew, but he couldn't help it.

But lately, he had seen, when he wasn't daydreaming about Tenten, how some unidentified emotion was playing over the man's face when he wasn't training.

Watching Remus Lupin sparring with the male members of Team Gai was interesting to say the least. From each sparring session, Remus was getting better and better. He was no longer clumsy in his moves, but blocked most kicks and punches with expertise. And while some of his counterattacks, mainly his kicks, were a bit slow, the power he put into them more than made up for it. It was not very often one saw Maito Gai sailing through the air after he blocked and dug his heels into the earth to keep his ground.

And as they soon discovered, he was no slob with a sword either. He was uncoordinated and slow at first, but after three sessions of concentrated training, it took Yamato and Kakashi's combined efforts to disarm him. It was only after disarming Yamato once that he told them that he practised swordsmanship on daily basis from age twelve to seventeen; not counting days of the full moon and holidays. But the fact that he only trained in a room that appeared when you asked for it made no sense at all.

Speaking of not making sense… it didn't make sense to Naruto that after giving him a cold shoulder, Remus kept being present whenever he woke up after nightmares, offering him a mug of steaming hot chocolate.

Naruto shuddered. He was going in therapy sessions with Ino's dad and Ibiki, and it had lessened the intensity of his nightmares of the torture a little, but he still woke up screaming each night. Whether it was because of the torture itself by the hands of Orochimaru and Bellatrix, the Kyuubi or the nightmares of his ordeal, but nightmares from his childhood was resurfacing again, though some of them had modifications: Instead of people he never knew the names on telling him that he was never loved and they only put up with him because they had to, it were the faces and voices of all of his friends around his age and their senseis, Iruka, Shizune, Tsunade, Jiraiya and Kakashi. Inoichi had tried putting up some very strong blocks in his subconscious, but those were only aimed at the nightmares regarding his torture, and did very little to stop the others horrid dreams. But he was going to be damned if he asked Inoichi to help with those as well. He was going to be Hokage one day. But how the hell could he become Hokage if he couldn't deal with a few childish nightmares on his own? But that didn't change the fact that he hated waking up screaming every night, Kakashi and Remus witnessing him crying and screaming.

"Hello? Earth to Naruto, Earth to Naruto. Come in Naruto."

Blinking a couple of times, Naruto focused on the worried-looking Sakura in front of him. "Sorry Sakura-chan. I think I was spacing out there, thinking about stuff. What did you say?"

Usually, Sakura would have teased her teammate about his thinking comment, but the faraway look in his eyes convinced her that now wasn't the time. But she also knew that she would get a lie if she asked him what was bothering him. And knowing her stubborn friend, she would most likely have to beat him up if she wanted a straight answer; that wasn't an option either. She might be tipsy, but not enough for her judgement skills to slip.

"I said I need to go to the hospital and find some journals for tomorrow, so I wondered if we could go together. It takes five to ten minutes and then we can go back to one of the clubs that allow us in."

Naruto pushed down a cringe. He had only had one healing session so far, but it was enough to make him hate being hospitalized with passion. Tsunade had given some explanation that he didn't get at all; something about the scar tissue having to be purged and purified on a cellular level and how they would accomplish this, a lot of names on enzymes and hormones that Naruto had no chance of remembering their names or functions and something about the poison's composition having to be dismantled on a subatomic level. Sakura's translation helped quite a bit: They were going to heal the damaged skin and flesh and remove the poison.

Unfortunately, Sakura's translation did nothing to ease the pain the healing caused. Even though he had been given anaesthetics and sedatives, howls and screams of agony pushed past his lips as the blonde Hokage removed the poison coursing in the seals by pulling it up through the scar tissue while on the same time she was dismantling and healing up the tissue, starting with the tissue deepest down. According to her, she couldn't just heal it outside to inside, as the poison would travel upwards and destroy any work she might have done there. Hopefully, once they had studied the nature of the poison a bit more, it would become easier removing it.

Naruto rubbed his neck, now free from the collar. He remembered almost losing fainting as it was removed, the chakra flowing freely in his damaged pathways. He had no idea how the Hyuuga clan had managed to crystalize chakra and turn it into a liquid, but according to Neji, one of the tricks of the Hyuuga Clan was to freeze chakra to absolute zero and heat it to the point it reversed to pure energy. Unfortunately, cooling and heating chakra took time. He didn't really care how they did it; the moment the liquefied chakra was smeared over the collar, it clicked open and some ANBU took it for further research and investigation.

Speaking of the Hyuuga prodigy, the blond Jinchuuriki stopped himself from rubbing his right shoulder. Having the Hyuuga genius forcing his chakra into your own chakra pathways was uncomfortable to say the least. A far cry from being as painful as the healing sessions, but still quite unpleasant, leaving him with a tingling sensation in said shoulder. From what Naruto understood when Neji explained the procedure, the Hyuuga genius focused so intensely on the pathways in question that he viewed them like in a microscope, enabling the young man to perform a very precise surgery.

Clearing his head for those unpleasant thoughts, the blond teenager gave his pink-haired teammate a smile. "Sure Sakura-chan. Let's go to the hospital. But then we are hitting the clubs again, okay?"

Sakura beamed and started walking in the direction of the hospital. "Deal."

00000

Naruto sighed as he sat in some office at the hospital, bored out of his mind. Sakura had just left, informing him that it might take a bit longer than she expected. Eyes wandering the umpteenth time, Naruto scanned the room, naming the things he saw.

"Medicine cupboard… Shelves with books on anatomy and other stuff… three chairs for guests… desk… open medical record on the desk... wait, what?"

Naruto couldn't believe he hadn't seen it sooner. After all, it was roughly the same size as a small tome. The Jinchuuriki knew what he was doing was illegal as the file held personal and confidential information, but that was just another trait he had inherited from his teachers: Sometimes he was just too curious for his own good. Then again, he was that before coming under the wings of Jiraiya and Kakashi, so they couldn't exactly be blamed for that one he mused as he walked over to the desk and picked up the medical file. His blue eyes went wide as he read.

"Medical record for 009720, Kakashi Hatake."

Curiosity prodded, Naruto sat down with Kakashi's medical record in hand. A frown formed on his face. Kakashi had been quite adamant that he got out of the Hatake Mansion tonight, but he wouldn't give him any other reason than it would be good for Naruto with a night with his age mates, even signing a flip that gave him permission to drink on several bars and clubs, on three conditions: He was to have fun with his friends, he wasn't do anything extremely stupid and most importantly, he was not to go or bring back any of his friends back to the mansion till after the moon set.

Naruto remembered accepting the deal, though he didn't quite understood Kakashi's reasoning behind the third one. But then he noticed the slight narrowing of Remus' eye, and Naruto got the feeling it was because they would build a cage in the forest for Remus to lose control in. But that didn't explain why Tsunade wanted to have private conversations with both Kakashi and Remus.

"Kakashi-sensei… Granny Tsunade… what aren't you telling me?"

He knew he was going to be in a lot of trouble should someone catch him reading this file, but if he was going to be in trouble for just opening it, he might as well go down with flourish and go all the way. That thought in mind, Naruto started reading.

"Okay, let's see.

Name: Kakashi Hatake.

Ninja Registration: 009720

Age: 30

Birthday: September 15

Blood type: 0

Family:

Father: Sakumo Hatake (deceased)

Mother: Naomi Hatake (deceased)

Siblings: None.

Children: None."

Naruto felt bad for Kakashi, realizing he was an orphan as well. But he would have to ponder that later, lest he be discovered. He soon discovered why Kakashi hated hospitals with fiery passion. During his career, he had been hospitalized so many times that even the medics and nurses seemed to have lost count. From what Naruto could gather, Kakashi had, when his stays were put together, spent roughly three years in a hospital bed. Most of the time seemed to be because of chakra exhaustion, but there were some more serious reasons: Broken bones and ribs, vital organs being hit by kunai and swords, even a collapsed lungs a few times. He had even gone into coma once because of poison that, according to medics, should have killed him hours before he was brought in. Naruto let out an impressed whistle.

"Damn Kakashi-sensei, you are one tough dude that just refuses to die huh? I bet you must have pissed off a lot of people with that trait."

Growing bored of reading Kakashi ending up in the hospital because of chakra exhaustion, Naruto turned to the last page. What he saw there made his blood run cold for a few seconds before it started boiling with anger and betrayal.

"Kakashi-sensei… Granny Tsunade… how could you? How could you?"

Slamming the journal down on the table, Naruto strode out of the room, all plans of clubs and fun erased from his mind, the last lines burned into his memory.

"_After the retrieval from Orochimaru's hideout, Kakashi Hatake was infected with Chakra Cancer. Almost one week later, he was cured. Kakashi has developed a secondary chakra network. When or how it unknown, but we are calling it lycanthrope chakra network. Lycanthropy, cure to Chakra Cancer?" _

As he stormed out of the hospital towards the Hokage Tower, Naruto could only think on what he had read and why somebody hadn't told him. One thing he was sure of, however: He was going to get some answers. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the ANBU operatives running the same way he was going, towards the centre of Konoha. Nor did he notice the four hours old full moon shining brightly over them.

00000

Hinata Hyuuga shifted nervously. She had been walking down the streets with Kiba and Akamaru when an ANBU operative appeared in front of them, stating that she was to come with him. Kiba had inquired as to why, but the ANBU had told him to keep his nose out of things that didn't concern him. Kiba was not going to take that one lying down, but before he could open his mouth again, the operative seemed to have a change of heart and allowed Kiba and Akamaru to join them, starting running down dark alleys, the two clan heirs right behind him.

Hinata soon lost track of where they were going, but when Mouse skidded to an abrupt halt, she knew something wasn't right. A thought that was confirmed when several ANBU agents appeared, telling them that the captive had escaped and that they needed to do so fast and discreetly. Something that was easier said than done. All she was told was to keep an eye out for big furry beast with sharp claws and fangs.

However, it soon became clear that they were not dealing with some mindless beast. It had managed to lose them one hour ago by going into a river, making Kiba unable to pick up its scent and them to find its footprints. After that, they had split up, Hinata going with Mouse, using her Byakugan to scout for whatever they were looking for. According to Kiba, the scent he had traced so far smelled like a wolf, but not quite a wolf. It gave her some pointers what to look for. However, it didn't help her much. And there was another thing that was bothering her.

"Umm… w-why haven't this b-b-beast we are looking attacked any- anyone yet? If it is as bloodthirsty then w-why haven't it…"

Mouse responded from somewhere above her, his voice a low whisper. "When predators hunt, it is not unusual for them to bid their time. They do so to select the weakest, thus the easiest prey, preferably a newborn or sick individual. The predator will wait for the opportune time to strike, for instance if it gets too far away from the rest of the flock or mother. In other cases, the predator will actively seek to separate its intended prey." That did nothing to reassure Hinata, and Mouse seemed to pick up on it, for he spoke in calmer tone that surprised even him. Then again, he did have to make up for his behaviour a few hours back. "Do not worry young heiress. If the beast had attacked, we would know it. We got the entire village covered and constant radio contact."

Hinata nodded, but she couldn't help but have this feeling that something was wrong. The problem with the Byakugan was that when you focused too much to scout long ahead in one direction, its 360 degrees vision would narrow down. Right now, she could 'only' look in a 180 degrees scope and around 500 metres ahead. And was starting to feel the strain of having Bloodline Limit active for hours Something Mouse seemed to be aware of as his tired voice reached her eyes.

"Take a break heiress. It is only a matter of time before someone finds the beast. And when that happens, we might need your assistance to combat it. Get some rest. I will be back in five minutes."

Mouse disappeared before Hinata could respond, but she was grateful for the pause. Deactivating her Byakugan, she observed the people milling the street, wondering how it could that this wolf-like-creature hadn't been found yet. Konoha might be a big city, but it should be impossible to stay under the radar for an animal with the entire ANBU looking for it.

Hinata looked down the street and let out a little yip. Her crush was walking down the street in casual blue t-shirt and black pants. But when she noticed his expression, her face fell. He looked quite angry, and Hinata wondered what or who could have done so. Looking down, Hinata considered what to do. Perhaps she could try cheering him up or perhaps even confess her love for him? She took a small step out of her hiding place in the dark alley, hoping her courage wouldn't fail her. However, in that instant, the blonde turned in her direction, but the reaction was a far cry from what she hoped for. The moment his cerulean eyes landed on her, they widened and his face drained of all colour. His face was a mask of terror. Hinata had of course heard of his kidnapping and rescue, but it was still discouraging having that look directed at her. But before she could ponder if he, as silly as it sounded, found her that horrendous, his scream cut through the noise of the street.

"HINATA, BEHIND YOU! RUN!"

Hinata instantly spun around and she let out a shriek. She finally realized why they hadn't found the beast. It hadn't been somewhere ahead of them; it had been right behind them, avoiding any detection so far. Activating her Byakugan, Hinata was shocked at what she saw. The beast stood 2,20 tall and its entire body was covered in grey-bluish fur, its muscles rippling as it suddenly growled at her, paws equipped with deadly claws and mouth filled with yellowish teeth. But what really shocked and terrified her were the creature's charka networks. The fact that it had two chakra networks was baffling enough, but the black chakra running in them was incredible. And while she could see one of the networks were similar to that of a human, there was absolutely no trace of human blue chakra coursing through any of them. There were only the sinister and sinister black chakra, giving her the feeling she was suffocating in its malice and bloodlust.

Hinata took a slow step backwards, but the beast moved the same instant, clearly going for the kill.

11111

Naruto strolled down one of the streets of Konoha, ignoring the sounds from the occasional bar and club. He had seen some of his friends from the Konoha 11. Seeing Ino drunk and walking between Shikamaru and Chouji for support was definitely worth seeing. A slight frown crept over his face. He had seen Kiba and Akamaru run past him, a serious look on Kiba's face. And now that he thought about it, Kiba wasn't the only one running around. The last few hours, Naruto had seen several ANBU squads. Seeing a single ANBU squad entering or leaving the city at top speed was not unusual. However, it was quite unusual seeing more than one running around in what seemed to be a search pattern.

Naruto stopped walking, contemplating the curious behaviour of the masked agents. He couldn't for the live of him figure out what could have caused so many ANBU to move out. An attack like the one the combined of Sand and Sound was unlikely, seeing how no one was evacuating civilians. Besides, there were no signs of a battle going on. Besides, no chuunin or jounin were running around

The young Jinchuuriki considered one or more infiltrators, but he quickly dismissed that idea as well. If the village had been compromised like that, the ANBU would move around in lesser numbers and in a less distinguishable manner. Or at least, that was what Kakashi told him.

The blonde felt a clench in his gut. He tried not to show it, but the fact that his dream would never come true hurt him to his core. He never told Kakashi as he didn't want to bother the man, but he was starting to lose hope. Unlike foes or other struggles, Chakra Cancer was not defeated by having the guts to never give up. Anger stirred inside of him. He might not have told Kakashi and Tsunade about how he truly felt, but only because he didn't want to bother two very busy people. But that they did bother telling him that they might have found a cure to Chakra Cancer was simply unforgivable.

Anger fuelled, Naruto started walking down the street again, his pace brisk. But he had barely walked 100 metres before he slowed down. Something was amiss. Amid the laughter and happy atmosphere, something was causing the small hair on his neck to stand. He couldn't place it, but he knew he had encountered something like this before.

'This malice… this feral rage… this bloodlust… I know I have felt those emotions, but where?'

The answer came to him sooner than he expected, but it caused him to stop dead in his tracks, small pearls of cold sweat running down his back. Glancing around into the dark alleys, Naruto bit down his rising panic. It should not be possible. He had figured Remus would be locked up somewhere in the woods behind the Hatake Mansion, so why in the blazes of Hell was Naruto's alarms going haywire and screaming that the werewolf was here?

'Calm down Naruto, breathe. Calm down, there is no need to panic just yet. Besides, panicking won't help here.'

Naruto told himself this over and over, but when a movement on his left caught his attention. 'Oh, it was just Hinata. I wonder why she was in that dark alley…'

The blonde's trail of thought stopped the moment he glanced into the alley, all colour leaving his face and blood running cold. He felt his eyes widening in terror; he would recognize those amber any day and night a week. Every thoughts of not causing panic blown from his mind, Naruto called out the first thing that crossed his mind.

"HINATA, BEHIND YOU! RUN!"

Ignoring the other people in the street stopping up, Naruto could only watch with increasing horror as the shy girl from his academy days turned around and let out a shriek of horror. To Naruto, everything felt like it was moving in slow motion and all sound died out. He watched as Hinata took a step backwards, just to activate the defensive jutsu that caused Naruto quite a bit of grief during his fight against Neji. But when Naruto saw the right paw of the werewolf, claws glinting, he just knew the Rotation wouldn't be enough. Whether it was the strength behind the strike, Hinata not putting too much power and speed into her jutsu or a combination of the two, Naruto didn't know. Fact was that the werewolf's paw connected with Hinata's head with a sickening crack and then she was sailing across the street and through a wall. She did not get up again.

The street had seconds ago been a cheerful place, filled with chatter and drunk people. Now, it was pure chaos. People were screaming for friends or help, running for cover, overturning tables and chairs as they went. And in the middle of this pandemonium, Naruto Uzumaki stood frozen in place, not believing that the werewolf that attacked him and Kakashi one month ago now was howling towards the moon in the middle of a club street in Konoha.

Everything was a blur to Naruto, the people running around him hardly more than blurs. But that all changed when there was a crack from somewhere above them, angry growls following. Looking up, Naruto realized that someone had sent up a flare, giving off a bright red light. In the next moment, the werewolf let out a howl and roar, and Naruto noticed how a few shuriken littered its shoulders. Looking up, he quickly spotted four ANBU, more shuriken on the ready.

"Out of the way!"

The shout behind him made Naruto look over his shoulder, just in time to see two ANBU tear by him, heading straight for the werewolf. Naruto watched as it turned towards the approaching shinobi. And when it shook its body, the blond teenager noticed how the shurikens fell to the ground. He could only look on as the masked ANBU operatives attacked.

Two more ANBU members attacked from above, swords drawn and ready for attack. Unfortunately for them, Moony was ready. Letting out a roar, Moony swung at them, using his full height. One skilfully executed a flip in mid-air, landing safely on the ground. The other, on the other hand, was not so lucky. Moony's blow hid him in sides, sweeping him into a nearby building. And the one that had landed so graciously before got violently decked by Moony when the werewolf got down on all fours before it lashed out with his left arm, sending the ninja tumbling down the street. Only thing that saved was the shield he put up with a Wind Element jutsu.

Another volley of shuriken, but this Moony moved out of the way, though some brushed his calves. Swearing, one of the ANBU called out.

"Earth, Water and Lightning combinations. One, two, three, now!"

Two voices shouted. "Water Element: Water Whip!"

Another ANBU formed the bird seal and stomped his foot into the ground. "Water Element: Speeding Stream jutsu!" Water burst from the earth in front of him and flowed towards the werewolf.

It didn't have enough force make Moony lose balance, but it soaked the ground quite nicely. And apparently, that was what another two of the ANBU aimed for as they both formed the same sequence of hand seal. "Ox, rabbit tiger, dragon, rat, snake. Earth Element: Mud Chain jutsu!"

Thick chains of mud wrapped itself around Moony's legs, causing him to howl in rage as they tightened, almost making him bend his legs. The ANBU who had given the order was the last to unleash his jutsu, and Naruto barely noticed the ANBU's owl, before the agent brought his hands together in the rat seal and slammed his palms into the ground.

"Lightning Element: Shock Flow jutsu!"

Owl's hands came alive with electricity that gave off a blue shine and Moony let out a howl as the Lightning jutsu, led to him by the water, gave him a burst of pain up through the legs, almost bringing him crashing down as his nerves and muscles got paralyzed.

Naruto stared in amazement. The teamwork the six ANBU agents had displayed was flawless. One decision on which elements to use, and all six used various jutsu that benefited the others. Not to mention the wise choice of long-range jutsu, keeping them clear of the werewolf's devastating strength. But before he could compliment them, Moony turned his head in Owl's direction and let out a growl. He was still fit for fight.

If the werewolf had been a human, Naruto would say that the look he was directing at the ANBU was a mix of 'you are pissing me off', 'is that all you've got?' and 'you are a slow learner, aren't you?'

But those funny thoughts disappeared when Moony rose to his full height and let out a deafening roar. Then he moved his foot, taking half a step forward. The ANBU who held the water whips and the two that held the mud chains instantly tightened their hold, the ones with the water jutsu trying to pull down the beast. Unfortunately for them, Moony saw that as a challenge on a contest of strength.

Growling as the chains of mud hindered him, Moony pulled with all his might, causing the two ANBU who used water to fly towards him. One got the wind knocked out of him as the werewolf's arm rammed into his chest. The other stopped his jutsu, but not his momentum. And unfortunately for him, he just got within reach of Moony's long arms. One paw wrapping around the shinobi's ankle, Moony introduced the ANBU to the ground, and Naruto was sure he heard the bone in the masked ninja's leg and foot snap, before the werewolf tossed his defeated foe away like a ragdoll.

To make matters worse, it was then the mud chains fell apart, no longer being able to withstand the strain the werewolf was putting on them. And when Moony turned towards Naruto, the blond realized he was next.

Moony growled and started running towards the young Jinchuuriki, causing Owl to swear quite loudly. "Damnit kid, why haven't you taken cover? Run!"

Naruto knew he should have run earlier, but only now was the shock of seeing that werewolf again subsiding. And after seeing it easily beating several ANBU and possible killing Hinata, his fear had taken away his control over his legs, rendering him unable to move. Moony advanced on his hind legs, gaining speed. Naruto barely registered the shouts coming from at least twenty approaching ANBU as Moony raised his paw, readying a strike.

"Owl, kill it! Bring it down! Bring it down damnit!"

Too late. Moony had reached Naruto, paw descending. Naruto was looking up, waiting for the blow to fall. It never did. The grey werewolf had stopped in its tracks, towering over the teenager, dwarfing his 1,66 with its 2,20. But Moony was ignoring Naruto completely, his attention drawn towards an alley, taking deep sniffs. Then, he growled. A deep growl that only grew in volume, ears lying down and lips pulling back in a snarl.

11111

Naruto couldn't believe it. The werewolf was ignoring him, growling as it looked into a dark alley on its left, ears down and baring all of its teeth. For a few seconds, Naruto wondered why the ANBU weren't attacking. But then he felt it. The malice and bloodlust pouring off right now was increasing, soon reaching a level that seemed to freeze even ANBU.

Then the Jinchuuriki heard them: Footfalls. And they were approaching at a rapid pace. The werewolf in front of him let out a roar that almost deafened Naruto.

"What the hell is going on here…!"

Whatever Naruto was going to say died on his lips as the large werewolf in front of him was violently removed by a blur of black and silver, the two forms smashing into a wall. At first, he thought it was one of the Inuzuka's hounds, but what Naruto saw was something he would never forget.

A smaller werewolf was biting down on the larger grey one's, trying to keep it down and crushing its windpipe. But the first one suddenly bit down on the smaller black one's shoulder, eliciting a howl from the smaller one. That in turn loosed the black one's hold and suddenly the grey one were back on its feet, and was soon lashing and slashing at its challenger, leaving gashes on the other's werewolf's chest and head. However, its blows that had sent Hinata and ANBU operatives sailing through the air seemed to barely affect the other werewolf though it was enough to make it stumble.

Owl gritted his teeth behind his mask, contemplating their next move. Hatake's kid hadn't moved from his spot as the two werewolves battled it out, biting and slashing at each other, but he did not dare to make to get Naruto out of there, afraid that it would draw the two werewolves to the teenager. Moreover, he had no idea why or how the second werewolf appeared out of nowhere. For a few seconds Owl suspected that the stranger had lied during his trial, but if Ibiki didn't detect any sign of lie, Owl believed the specialist's word. It didn't really matter either way. Fact remained that they had two wolf-like creatures fighting in the middle of the street, a teenage boy right in the line of fire.

"Owl, what do we do? They grey one alone took down the heiress to the Hyuuga clan's Main family and six of us." Owl didn't think it was necessary to mention it had killed three Root members as well. Not yet at least. "Moreover, we got Naruto Uzumaki down there, so we can't just use some of our more powerful jutsu."

Owl nodded. He was already fully aware of that fact. And he had already come up with a possible strategy. He just hoped it would work. "Tunnel Barrier. We are going to erect a barrier and herd those wolves to a deserted area."

Mouse frowned. "Where?"

Owl sighed. "Training ground 44, the Forest of Death."

Mouse felt his jaw drop. That was quite a distance, even if they took it by roof jumping. "But sir, it would take three or four fully geared barrier teams. Not to mention the boy down there."

The older ANBU simply turned his head, voice leaving no room for argument. "Then you better get a move on, won't you Mouse? And don't worry about the kid… I got that part covered as well."

Mouse nodded and took off, though he had his doubts about his captain's plan. Then again, Mouse wouldn't be surprised if it actually worked. Rumour had it that Owl was the one to train Kakashi Hatake in the ways of ANBU and tactics when the last Hatake joined, and was the one to recommend him to the Third as his successor as ANBU Commander. A rumour that neither Kakashi nor Owl confirmed or denied. But as he hurried away to carry out his senior's orders, the battle took an unfortunate turn.

With a mighty roar, the black werewolf picked up the grey one and hurled it over Naruto and into a building. Then, with a growl, it turned its gaze on Naruto.

The blonde felt his blood become colder than ice when the beast's eyes landed on him. But then, some strange happened. The werewolf's eyes widened in what, to Naruto, looked like surprise and fear. It was as if two minds were fighting for control over the same body. He had seen that look on Gaara's face, so he could recognize it anywhere. But for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why the beast was looking at him like that. It was if it was trying to convey something.

Its eyes started closing and Naruto's mouth went dry. The half-lidded gaze was way too similar. But Naruto couldn't recognize his own voice. It was too small, too weak "Kakashi…sensei?"

The black werewolf didn't answer him of course, but the way it kept looking at him… it was a look only Kakashi could give. Naruto frowned, a thought occurring to him. Could lycanthropy mean being a werewolf? If so, why hadn't Kakashi or Tsunade said anything? He figured it didn't matter really. Being a werewolf would cure him from Chakra Cancer. And to become a werewolf, all he had to do was getting bit. The cure he so desperately needed was right in front of him. He was so desperate for a cure that he didn't care about becoming a werewolf. He was so desperate for the cure that would give his dream of becoming Hokage new life. He took a step towards the transformed Kakashi, stretching out his hand towards it to bite.

"Naruto, NO! RUN NARUTO, RUN!"

The blonde teenager spun on his heel, eyes immediately landing on a pale looking Tenten, panic written all over her face. But Naruto didn't have long to feel anything about the appearance of one of his crushes, for the next moment, blood thirst and untamed feral rage hit him like a tidal wave.

The grey werewolf emerged from the building, looking absolutely murderous. With a gulp, Naruto realized that he was now in the middle of the two lycanthropes with no escape or cover. And one look at the grey one's snarl made it crystal clear that it would not settle for anything less than the death of the black one. Naruto turned head, venturing a glance at the black one. Naruto felt his heart skip a beat or two. Gone was the internal war in the dark one's gaze. The only thing that remained in its amber eyes was lust for blood and fury. And when both wolves readied themselves for attacking each other again, despite them panting slightly, Naruto realized he had just made a huge mistake. Kakashi hadn't been fighting the grey one to protect him. He had been fighting, like the other werewolf, to secure an evening meal. And from the looks of it, Naruto was the main dish.

The werewolves charged.

11111

Moony growled. He was fully aware of the puny human between him and Silvertooth. The scent of fear was bombarding his nostrils, but till he had killed the younger werewolf, nothing else mattered. This was his territory, and he was not going to tolerate any competition. And after their initial squabble, it was clear that Silvertooth's intentions were clear: He wanted the territory for himself. So far, they had been equally matched, but Silvertooth was tiring faster than he was. With a growl, Moony attacked.

Silvertooth snarled. His sire was no pushover. But it was time for the elder werewolf to step down and hand over the territory and hunting rights. Snarling, Silvertooth moved in for the kill.

11111

To Naruto, time seemed to slow down. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed Tenten reaching for her weapon scroll, but it was clear she would not be in time. The werewolves got on all fours, building up speed, jaws ready to crush bone and flesh. He saw how the werewolves rose to their hind legs as they closed him in. Time sped up again and everything then seemed to happen in a flash.

Arms wrapped around Naruto from behind and then he was airborne, ankles just getting out of the way as massive creatures clashed, the grey taking full advantage of its height and weight it had over the other. Moony never got a good hold of Silvertooth, but he managed to bite down near the younger werewolf's throat. Silvertooth got a hold on Moony's throat, but thanks to Moony's larger momentum, he never got to crush the elder werewolf's windpipe before he was run over.

Naruto saw how the lycanthropes crashed to the ground, but he and his saviour barely landed before the wolves were back on their paws, charging at them. The blonde teenager felt his rescuer take off at breakneck speed, Tenten not far behind them. He didn't even notice that whoever had saved him had changed his position so that he was getting a piggyback ride. But then he felt two ponytails hit him in the face and his mouth dropped open in disbelief.

"Granny Tsunade? Wha...?"

The Hokage didn't dignify that with an answer. She had been briefed about Remus' escaping the ANBU in his wolf-form and had immediately gone to check up on Kakashi. What she found there had shocked her: An empty cage and an unconscious Neji. It was no brainer to her why Neji had been there, especially after remembering Kakashi leaning in to whisper something in the youth's ear. But it was shocking that both werewolves had managed to escape so soon after their transformation. And it was clear to her that they had underestimated them quite grossly.

She briefly pondered if Remus deliberately had downplayed how the intelligence and strength of the werewolf, but she quickly squashed down that idea. He had asked if they wanted him to have a look at their precautions and, if he deemed it was necessary, strengthen them. They had declined, trusting the Wood Element. And she hadn't wanted him in ANBU HQ before necessary. Right now, she cursed her pride. She should have accepted the help from a werewolf-expert. But there was nothing she could do about it now. The High Council, the Village Elders in particular, was going to have a field day. Not one but two werewolves running amok in the middle of Konoha? They already knew of Remus, but people would without a doubt ask who the other one was. She sighed internally. The next couple of days were going to be interesting to say the least

"Granny Tsunade, they are gaining on us!"

The Fifth Hokage took a quick glance over her shoulder. Tenten was twenty metres behind them while the werewolves were 100 metres, slowly but steadily gaining on them.

"The roofs! Jump to the roofs!"

Tsunade kept running, wondering where the invisible tunnel ended. "I can't. The ANBU have put up a barrier called Tunnel Barrier. It runs along the walls of the buildings and is closed at the top, roughly seven metres above our heads and seven metres below us. It can't be broken from the inside as it a technique used to force an enemy to walk into an ambush. And even if I could smash it from the inside, I wouldn't. The moment it is breached, those werewolves would most likely run out through the hole and wreck complete chaos again. Better to contain them and lead them to the designated area."

Naruto looked from the sides and up. He hadn't noticed it before, but as they sped down the streets, he could clearly see a shimmer in the air, like it was heated. But if Tsunade hadn't told him there was barrier around them, he would have missed it. "When did they set this up?"

The Hokage looked over her shoulder. Distance between Tenten and the werewolves: 50 metres. Distance between Tenten and the running Hokage: 25 metres. She needed to come up with something fast or they needed to reach whatever area the ANBU had picked.

"The moment I landed behind you. It would appear that Tenten didn't know the street had been evacuated and didn't get out in time. There is no stopping this barrier once you have started it. And due to its trap like nature, the hardest part is to move the fixed number of shinobi, called the links of the tunnel, in position. Damnit, where did they set up the end?"

Naruto held on for dear life as Tsunade jumped a few metres into the air, rotating so that she faced the direction of Tenten and the werewolves. The blond noticed Tenten flew past them and turn around, just as Tsunade hammered her heel into the ground, creating a fissure in the street, earth and stone flying towards the incoming lycanthropes. Both werewolves howled and yelped as the flying debris hit them, and soon they lost their balance and were buried under the earth and stone.

Tsunade slid to a stop, a frown on her face. She hadn't thought it would work that well. Actually, she figured her little trick would only slow down Kakashi and Remus in their alternate forms. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tenten ready some kunai and shuriken.

"Did it work? Are they dead?"

Tsunade's frown deepened. But before she could answer the younger kunoichi, for from the piece of earth and stone, a black werewolf emerged, growling at them. And a few seconds later, the grey lycanthrope climbed over the top, baring its teeth at them and ears lying flat.

The Hokage grit her teeth. As the Hokage, she was to protect the people of the village against any threat. It would be easy to kill the werewolves where they were right now, but one of those werewolves were like a nephew to her and the other was a guest of honour that she owed a debt to. And seeing her little trick hadn't worked, she could only come up with one thing to do.

"Save your kunai Tenten-san. They won't do anything than to annoy them. We are going to see where this tunnel ends." The werewolves got out of the rubble and started walking towards them, the black one on the left side of the street while the grey one was on the right. Tsunade's eyes narrowed. She might not be an expert on dogs or wolves like the Inuzuka, but she could recognize a hunting strategy when she saw one. "Run!"

She had barely uttered the words before the werewolves attacked. Running down the streets, it didn't take long to figure out that the werewolves had teamed up in response to her trick, seeing her as the greatest threat to them. Before, they had hunted them separately, but now they were coordinating. It didn't take a genius to figure out their tactic: One would exhaust them and the other would finish them off. And unlike the werewolves who were taking turns at setting the pace, they had to keep their current speed. If they slowed down, the werewolves would catch up to them. If they, or rather Tsunade, picked up speed, Tenten would fall behind and on her own against the transformed Kakashi and Remus. But a sideways glance at the younger kunoichi told Tsunade that Tenten was tiring and fast. It would only be a matter of time before she collapsed.

Then she saw it; the end of the Tunnel Barrier. And the Hokage would recognize one of those gates any day a week. She smiled to herself, realizing her ANBU's plan.

'Good work. Trap them inside the Forest of Death. With all the animals running around in there, hopefully, the werewolves will get other things to worry about.'

She smashed down the gate and ran into the forest. When she was sure the werewolves were inside, she slowed down a bit.

"Granny Tsunade, what are you doing? Take to the trees!"

Tsunade shook her head. "No Naruto. I need those werewolves hot on our trail as to lure them deeper into the forest. The ANBU will need some time to get in position. They cannot seal off the entire forest, but they can set up a perimeter."

Tenten, panting from the long and fast run, managed to gather enough air to speak. "Why didn't you kill them Tsunade-sama? With your strength…"

"I have my reasons."

Naruto understood. She didn't want to kill off Remus and Kakashi unless she absolutely had no other choice. Nor did she want to reveal Kakashi's secret to anybody. But venturing a glance over his shoulder gave him other things to think about. He couldn't believe how calm his voice sounded.

"You can explain your reasons later Granny, for the time being, let's focus on the wolves behind us that look ready for their dinner."

Tsunade had to suppress a gasp. Naruto's sarcastic remark sounded quite like something Kakashi would say. But she could not deny the Kid had a good point. She sped up to put some more distance between them and the werewolves before she ran up a tree, barely paying attention to Naruto tightening his grip. Once they reached a branch that was thick and broad enough, Tenten collapsed against the trunk, panting and gasping for breath. Tsunade felt Naruto climb off her back and turned to see him take a seat beside Tenten, looking completely drained. The busty Hokage bent at her knees, palms resting on her thighs, more winded than she liked to admit. It had been a long time she had to run like that.

"Granny Tsunade, are you alright?"

That seemed to snap her out of it. Straightening up to her full height, and ignoring the growling werewolves below them, Tsunade turned her gaze on the blond Jinchuuriki, her voice belying her worry and rising anger

"I have half the mind to give you a spanking so hard that you won't be able to sit down for a year! Why would you approach a werewolf after your previous encounter with one!"

Naruto's face burned with embarrassment. He had not seen the threat of a spanking coming from Tsunade like that, and in front of Tenten to boot. The girl looked slightly embarrassed, but curious above everything else. Well, after exhausted in any case. Naruto shifted. He didn't know what to say. He did know, however, that the idea of getting his hide tanned by Tsunade and her strength was enough to make his butt twinge in fear. But a look at Tsunade's stormy face told him he better answer fast or she might just carry out her threat.

"I wanted to be cured."

Tenten looked utterly confused, but the anger seemed to drain from Tsunade's face, giving room for tiredness. "Tenten, would you please leave for a few minutes? I have a few things to discuss with Naruto."

Tenten suppressed a groan of protest. She was so tired and her muscles were screaming in protest as she pushed herself to standing position. But it would not do to complain in front of her idol, so she gave Naruto a weak smile and jumped away, intending to return once Tsunade and Naruto were done.

Once Tsunade was sure the kunoichi was out of earshot, she addressed Naruto, her voice gentle. "I think I know what is going on, but I would like to hear your version." Naruto hesitated and her tone got a bit sterner, leaving no room for argument. "Now, Naruto."

Naruto was tired. And he was not dumb enough to start lying to Tsunade, especially not when she was using that voice. So he launched into explaining why Sakura and he went to the Hospital, leaving out how much alcohol they had consumed, to what he had read in Kakashi's medical files, Tsunade staying silent the whole time. When he was done, the blond Hokage could see and hear the hurt and feeling of betrayal in Naruto's voice.

"Why Granny Tsunade? Why didn't you or Kakashi-sensei tell me that you had found a possible cure to Chakra Cancer? Why Granny, why?"

Tsunade was silent, contemplating her answer, eyes closed. Then she let out a long sigh and met Naruto's gaze, noticing the tears he was still holding back. "Naruto, those files are highly confidential as they contain very personal data. You understand that by reading those files, you have broken the law, right?" A nod was all she got. "I'm not going to punish you Naruto. I carry a huge part of the blame for letting such sensitive information lay out in the open. The reason it lay there was because I had to leave for an emergency surgery. I was going to write that I would speak to Remus-san about it, but then that emergency came up and I simply forgot about the journal. But I'm going to have a chat with Kakashi and Remus about it about it."

A sad expression swept over her face as she squatted down, coming down on eye level with the teenager. "As for why we didn't tell you about finding a possible cure to Chakra Cancer… we did not want to give you false hopes. We do not yet know if it will cure you. Kakashi's case of Chakra Cancer was less severe than yours are. And we have yet to discuss the possibility with Remus-san. I made a mistake in not consulting him regarding our precautions for tonight… I'm not going to make that mistake twice. From now, if werewolves are involved in any way, I will consult Remus-san first."

Naruto nodded then swallowed. "The black werewolf… it was Kakashi-sensei, wasn't it?" Tsunade gave a sad nod. "Why didn't he tell me? Did he think I couldn't handle it?"

Tsunade sighed. "That is something you will have to ask Kakashi. But if I know the Brat even half as well as I think and hope I do, he didn't want to burden you with his own problems."

Naruto looked down. But before he could start musing, or worse, cry, Tsunade cut in. "By the way… how much did you drink tonight Naruto? Or better yet: How did you convince Kakashi to give his permission? If you got it, that is."

Naruto's head shot up, but instead of coming face-to-face with a stern faced Hokage, Tsunade was giving him an amused look. "Eh… we made a deal."

Tsunade's eyebrow rose. "What did this deal entail?"

Naruto looked down again. "He would allow me to drink on three conditions. I was to have fun with my friends, I wouldn't do something extremely stupid and I wouldn't go back to the mansion or bring any of my friends home to after the moonset." He looked up, his eyes pleading. "Please don't tell Kakashi-sensei about this Granny Tsunade. Please."

Tsunade sighed and chuckled without humour. "I think you can wave goodbye to your permission to drink after reading his medical files…"

"No, not about that." Tsunade frowned a little, but didn't say anything, so Naruto continued. "Please don't tell him about me approaching him in his werewolf state… that was what he will call extremely stupid. He will be so disappointed in me if he learns that I approached a werewolf after my previous encounter. Please don't tell him, please."

Tsunade closed her eyes, not being able to stand the teenager's pleading eyes. 'Kakashi, do you realize how much this kid looks up to you? To him, your disappoint weighs more than breaking the law.' The Hokage opened her eyes and regarded Naruto for a moment. It had been fun watching him squirm when she inquired about the alcohol, but now she felt sorry for him. She knew she should tell Kakashi, but then she remembered Kakashi's little trap for her and secretive behaviour before the trial. Sighing, she came to a conclusion.

"I will not tell him about you approaching him in his werewolf form if you won't Naruto." A wide smile spread across Naruto's face. "However, I'm going to tell him about you reading his medical file."

Naruto nodded, a wide smile still on his face. But then his smile dulled a bit. "Ehm, Granny Tsunade? Do you think… Kakashi-sensei is going to spank me?"

Tsunade bit down a chuckle and a smile. This boy never stopped surprising her. "I doubt it Naruto. The Hatake Clan never believed in corporal punishment. But I assure you, if you ever do something that stupid again, I will give you a spanking that you won't forget any time soon. Tenten! You can come back now."

Tenten landed on the branch and slid down next to Naruto as the blonde stated spluttering, ears turning red. "But… but… but… you aren't my guardian! You can't just…"

Tsunade tilted her head. "Not being his guardian never stopped me from spanking the Fourth Hokage when he deserved one… mostly when he did something incredible reckless." Two jaws dropped open. "Now, on to something important. Can the two of you walk? I refuse to carry you out."

Both teens tried to stand, but their legs gave out on them and they would have fallen down to snarling werewolves below had Tsunade not steadied them and helped them to sit back down. The Hokage sighed, really hating what she was about to say.

"I'm sorry, but I will have to leave the two of you here. I have to get back and I don't have enough strength left to bring you back with me. Or rather, it would slow us down significantly and I do not want to risk losing hold on either of you so you can fall to the ground. Especially if those werewolves decide to give chase again." She paused. "Would you like a few ANBU to keep watch or?"

Tenten shook her head. "No, I don't think it will be necessary. But thank you for the generous offer Tsunade-sama. For now, all I want to is rest."

Naruto nodded. "I agree. We will be fine as long as we don't make an attempt to stand up."

The Hokage gave them a look over before nodding her consent. "Very well. Goodnight to you both."

With that the Fifth Hokage took off, leaving the teenagers alone with the werewolves below them. For a few minutes, all that was heard was the growling werewolves, but when the lycanthropes realized their prey wasn't coming down, they turned on one another again and it wasn't long before they moved deeper into the forest, the sound of their fight slowly drowning away in the darkness.

The minutes stretched on in silence. Naruto was trying to find a comfortable position to rest in, but so far, no such luck. And judging by then teenage girl shifting beside him, Naruto figured Tenten was having the same problem. Turning his gaze slightly, Naruto noticed how the full moon shone upon Tenten's face, giving her a special glow. Glancing towards west, Naruto noticed a star that was emitting a strange green glow. It was mesmerizing in its beauty, and yet, it cast an eerie light.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, just like you."

Tenten turned her head slightly, an odd look in her eyes. "What? What did you just say Naruto?"

Naruto felt his face and ears burn, realizing that he spoken his thoughts out loud. But he figured he might as well see this through to the end, for one look in the kunoichi's gaze told him there was no getting out of this one. Steeling his nerve, and ears slightly pink, Naruto spoke.

"I said I think you are beautiful." Tenten's eyes widened, but Naruto kept going. "I know I don't have the way with words as Kakashi-sensei do, so I'm going to be blunt: For some time now, I haven't been able to get you out of head… whether when I sleep or are awake. You make me lose focus, and every time you are close to me I feel like nothing can go wrong. What I'm trying to say is… is that… I'm in… no, what I'm really trying to say is… argh, dangit! Why does it have to be so hard? What I' trying to say is that I'm in love with you. Will you be my girlfriend?"

The last thing came out in a rush, so at first, Tenten thought she had had gotten something wrong. But by the blush on Naruto's face, and his hopeful eyes, the kunoichi knew she wasn't dreaming. And while Naruto's babbling and bumbling confession would be, by many girls' standards, considered poor and unromantic, it convinced her his confession had been sincere. And she couldn't deny it; she had feelings for the young blonde as well.

"I would understand it perfectly if you aren't interested, but I…"

Before Naruto's ramblings could go any further, Tenten silenced him with a chaste kiss on his lips before pulling away. "I would love to be your girlfriend… Naruto-kun."

It took some time for her words to register in his stunned mind, but when they did, Naruto's face lit up in joy that could rival the glow of the moon. Taking the teenage girl's hand, Naruto pulled her closer. For a few minutes, all they did was looking at the green star, resting against each other. It wasn't long before they were both asleep, Naruto, for the first since his capture, sleeping peacefully.

00000

Madara had been more than just a bit displeased when he learned of Kisame's failed mission. But before he could punish him, Pain had intervened and ordered the former Kiri-nin to hunt the Six-Tails. And Madara figured that he couldn't exactly blame Kisame for being fooled by Remus Lupin. He had not warned him of the man after all. Not that it excused Kisame's failure, as he should have been able to eliminate him. But seen in hindsight, perhaps Kisame' failing his mission was a good thing. After all, it was not every day one got an ally from another dimension. Nor was it every day one got an ally who had trained under Voldemort and Orochimaru. And finally, it wasn't every day you got an ally with a small army in the back. Kisame had brought back Bellatrix Lestrange, and now that he had seen her, Madara had a hard time believing he hadn't recognized her earlier. Her behaviour hadn't changed much since Voldemort and she last visited. If anything, she had just become even more deranged.

But despite her insanity, Madara could not deny he was not interested in her proposal. In return for her life, she would bring him Kakashi Hatake and Naruto Uzumaki… alive and unspoiled. If they brought her Remus Lupin, she would teach him some of her own tricks. And finally, if Madara could provide a safe passage back to her home world, Bellatrix would hand over the control of her army of pseudo-werewolves to him.

He had agreed… granted her army of pseudo-werewolves were as good as she claimed. That was why they now stood on a hilltop on the outskirts of a small city west from Konoha. They had been here since nightfall, and now Madara's patience with the insufferable woman was wearing thin.

"For your sake, I hope this is not an attempt at an ambush."

Bellatrix gave the masked man a sickening smile, hiding her internal nervousness. She would love nothing more than torture the man like she did with the Longbottoms, but her plan depended on a safe passage to her own dimension. Two things… two small things and she would have all the required ingredients for bringing back the Dark Lord. But right, she needed to stay alive long enough to bring it to fruition.

"Patience milord, have patience. You will get your demonstration of Orochimaru's creations soon."

Madara pressed down his rising ire. He was a patient man, but she was only reinforcing his suspicions: She was playing him for a fool. So far he had only let her live for two reasons: One, he was curious about this supposed army and two; he knew that he could kill her if she was, most likely, trying to trick him.

But just as he was about to call her out on her bluff, he heard a low rustle of leaves, snarls and whimpering. Bellatrix's smile widened, belying her relief.

"They are here. First part of your demonstration starts now."

The words had barely left her lips before a couple of wolf-like-men pushed out from the treeline, dragging a sixteen-seventeen year old boys between them, his clothes torn and brown eyes wide with terror.

"Please… please, let me go! I have never done anything to you! Please, let me go! I don't want to die, please! My mother… my father… my girlfriend… please, let me go! I swear I won't tell anybody about this! Please!"

His pleas felt on deft ears and Madara noticed how a maniac glint shone in the eyes of Voldemort's most devoted servant as she gave a simple command. "Do it. Bite him."

The youth screamed as both of the pseudo-werewolves bit down on his shoulders before dropping him on the ground. For three seconds, nothing happened. But when the boy's body started convulsing and changing, Madara could stare in morbid fascination. The transformation lasted only a few seconds, but thanks to his Sharingan, Madara got every detail. The transformation complete, the pseudo-werewolf stood up, standing just below 2 metres tall.

Madara looked at the beast's claws and fangs as it stood panting in front of him. But soon its panting turned into growls and Madara acknowledged that it indeed was a gruesome enemy to meet in fight, claws and teeth sharp enough to tear through a ninja flak jacket. Still…

"I admit that it looks quite deadly. However, it is not enough to impress or convince me. I will need to see more before I make my final decision."

Bellatrix smiled again, this smile carrying her internal glee to the front, making her look even more deranged.

"I expected as much milord. Enjoy the second part of this little demonstration." Madara tensed up slightly when Bellatrix withdrew a wand from her robes, one out of two according to Kisame, but she pointed it towards the starry sky above them, shouting an incantation. "_Morsmordre_!"

The Dark Mark appeared in the sky, bathing the entire valley in an eerie green light. But Madara barely paid attention to the symbol of Lord Voldemort and his followers, for the moment the Dark Mark appeared, the hills came alive as hundreds of pseudo-werewolves, previously concealed in the dark, roared and started running towards the city, closing in from all directions, making it impossible to escape.

Soon, the night was filled with the terrified screams and cries of the villagers, the howls of the pseudo-werewolves and Bellatrix's gleeful laughter.

End chapter 22.

AN: To answer a few questions I'm sure will come: No, NarutoTenten will not be a permanent pairing in this story. But I cannot deny that the pairing has grown on me. And I promise that the relationship between Naruto and Tenten will not become the main focus of this story. I may not be a romance writer, but it kind of irked me the way Rowling settled on her pairings. I don't have anything against HarryGinny or RonHermione, more the way it was decided. Most of her characters got married with their (to our knowledge) first or second boyfriend/girlfriend. And I have this feeling Kishi will do the same. Sorry, I just don't see it happening. Had Rowling given any note on people they dated during those 19 years, I would have no complaints. But teenagers finding the love of their life in their first or second boyfriend/girlfriend? Kakashi willingly dressing the same way as Gai is more possible.

Another thing: I do not condone corporal punishment in real life. But it seemed like something that could very well happen in the Naruto-verse so I went with it.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. It is my longest to date, but it just seemed wrong to cut it in two. If you have any questions, I will answer them to the best of ability.

Teaser for next chapter:

"What do you want?"

"To talk."

"I don't trust you."

"I'm not expecting you to."

00000

"Don't be afraid of me."

"I'm not afraid."

"But you are."

"I'm not!"

"Your mouth says one thing, but your body betrays you."

00000

"Kakashi, what you describe is unique. It is completely unheard of."

"I see. What does that mean to me?"

"I can't say. The possibilities could be limitless."

00000

"Naruto, a war is coming. When it comes... we better be prepared."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Konoha Aftermath

"I will and cannot do it! I absolutely refuse!" Yamato was glaring at his bedridden senpai who, despite him being wrapped up in bandages, had the gall to smile at him. Yamato might feel guilty about not making a better cage, but he did not under any circumstances feel guilty enough to do what Kakashi asked of him. "I refuse!"

Kakashi eye creased up in his signature eye-smile. "Mah, Yamato. When have I ever asked you to do something you said you absolutely couldn't do?"

Yamato instantly held up his hands, ignoring the snickering from the young blond next to his senpai, his fingers answering Kakashi's question. "Ten."

Kakashi opened his eye and his smile was replaced with a frown. "Huh? I only had it at nine. Two times in Water Country, two times in Lightning Country, two in the Sand Village, two in Earth Country and once in Frost."

Yamato glowered. "Yes, and this will be number ten. The only difference being that this time I won't do what you ask of me."

Yamato could not believe what Kakashi had asked him to do: Go and distract Gai while the Hokage, Kakashi and the stranger leaning against the doorframe behind him talked about something. Yamato was not stupid. Kakashi might have a broken arm and some bruised ribs, but that did not explain why he was admitted to the Hospital under great discretion. Also, if the three of them needed to speak in private, why did Kakashi not tell Naruto to wait outside? Something fishy was going on, and he was certain it was somehow connected to what transpired a couple of nights ago on the night of the first full moon.

Casting a wary glance at the man behind him, Yamato felt an unease rising deep within him. He had seen how a glare from the man had caused his fellow ANBU to stumble and loosen their grip. And that had been while dressed in a mix of hospital and prisoner clothing. But now, dressed in his changed Akatsuki cloak with Orochimaru's sword strapped to his back and a black patch covering his destroyed eye, he seemed like a frightening opponent, even with his amused smile.

The Wood Element user had seen and heard of the havoc Remus Lupin's alter form had caused. Had Yamato not been aware of the truth, he never would have believed that the man hosted a beast capable of such destruction. Then again, the same could be said about Naruto. If one didn't know him and just gave him a glance, one would never suspect he was the prison of the Kyuubi.

Kakashi's voice stopped his musings. "Mah, come now Yamato. It won't be that bad."

Yamato, quickly brought back to Kakashi's request, turned his in his senpai's direction. "If it won't be that bad, Kakashi-senpai, you can deal with him yourself."

"How disrespectful Yamato-san. Where I'm from, one helps one's elders once they have earned your respect."

Yamato turned to stare at the man leaning against the doorframe. "Beg your pardon?"

Lupin, having caught on to what Kakashi was trying to do, simply shrugged and continued. "Kakashi is obviously your elder colleague; otherwise you wouldn't refer to him as senpai. However, I can't help but feel you are partly responsible for Naruto being disrespectful towards his elders. After all, why should he be when his elders are not?"

Yamato's face fell. "Wha…"

Remus pushed forward. "Moreover, the behaviour of a younger colleague reflects on the older one. If the younger one misbehaves, it puts the older one in a bad light. A teenager is one thing, but a grown man?"

Yamato's mouth dropped open, but Kakashi choose that moment to speak up. "I guess it was too much to ask for after all. Besides, Naruto is much better suited for delaying Gai a bit. Or perhaps I should ask one of my others kohai? I would have preferred if you had accepted Yamato, being one of the few among my so-called juniors that I consider a friend, but I know when I lose. Naruto, would you…"

Yamato waved his hands and shook his head frantically. "No, no, no!" He closed his eyes and rubbed his neck before giving a smile. "Remus-san is right; I should set a better example for those younger than myself. I will go distract Gai-san, Kakashi-senpai. Bye!"

With a wave, the Wood Element user darted out the door. Naruto snickered while Tsunade, who had watched the whole exchange with amusement, spoke up. "You are evil Brat." She turned her eyes to Remus who wore an innocent smile. "You aren't any better. Teaming up on him like that. He never stood a chance."

Lupin gave a small shrug, wincing slightly as his shoulder did not agree with the movement. He was quite sore after his last transformation, despite Tsunade patching him up.

"Sorry, couldn't help myself. Once a Marauder, always a Marauder." Confused looks was all he got. "It was the nickname my friends and I went by in school." His fond smile melted into a passive frown. "And since Naruto is here, is it safe to assume he is aware of Kakashi's… condition?"

Tsunade ventured a glance at the said blonde who was just a tad paler than usual and had small pearls of sweat forming, before nodding. "Yes."

Lupin raised an eyebrow at the short answer, but didn't say anything. He guessed she would elaborate if need be.

There was a knock on the door and two men entered. The first man was young, hardly eighteen yet and had his left arm in a sling, and he had long dark brown hair and pale eyes that almost made him look blind. Remus studied him a bit, and his eye widened as he remembered where he had seen eyes like that before: Hinata. And now that he thought about it, he recalled seeing several people with eyes like that during under and after his trial.

'A clan… I see. But I don't remember the name on the clan.' Concern and horror swept over him. 'Oh no, please don't tell me I have bitten another.'

Neji Hyuuga nodded at each occupant. "Good afternoon, Hokage-sama, Lord Hatake, Remus-san, Naruto."

They each nodded in turn, but when Remus saw the man following Neji, his eye narrowed. "You."

Owl noticed the glare sent his way, and he couldn't help but halting slightly in his step. But if anyone noticed, they didn't comment on it. "Lady Hokage, Kakashi, Naruto-kun." He gave a nod at Lupin. "Remus-san."

Lupin glowered at Owl. He had not forgotten their last verbal exchange. Moreover, his fear of having bitten someone was turning into anger. "Did the cage hold, or did I smash it?"

Owl looked at Remus before quickly glancing at the Hokage, who gave a curt nod, urging him on. Steeling himself, Owl responded in a somewhat calm voice. "You smashed it."

Remus' breath hitched, anger quickly being replaced by fear. If he had made another share his burden… he had seen right through the masked shinobi's forced calm. He had smelt the anxiety of the other man, however faint it was. Preparing himself for the worst, he forced the words over his lips.

"Did I… Did I bite anyone?"

Owl hesitated. Then he shook his head. "Yes and no. You bit off a guy's head and killed two others." Remus almost forgot to breathe, but Owl gave a dry chuckle. "Although I think we should thank you for eliminating those three."

Remus felt like he was going to be sick. But Owl's words made him forget all about that. He felt confused, sick, angry… and how easily Owl spoke of the demise of his fellow ninja… it unnerved him.

"Thank me? Why on Earth would you thank me for killing your fellow ninja?"

Tsunade decided this was a good time to cut in before things got ugly. Remus looked ready to either hyperventilate or strangle Owl.

"Remus-san, those ninja were from an organization called Root. It's run by Danzou and was officially disbanded years ago, but it remains active. Moreover, they were sent to kill you while in your wolf-form. And from what Owl reported, they had a fourth member with them. It appears that should those you dispatched off fail their mission, he was to record the events and through a genjutsu set up so that you would get all the blame."

Remus sucked in a deep breath. He knew where this was headed. "So… I'm going to get executed?"

Tsunade smirked. "Danzou aimed for you being either handed over or executed. Fortunately, or unfortunately in his case, Owl here was awake and cancelled the genjutsu set in the room. And thanks to the throughout clean up done by the surviving Root agent, there was nothing to indicate anyone died in that room."

Remus let out a deep breath, relief flooding his system. But then he thought on Tsunade's phrasing. "Wait… that room? Did I… did Moony… my wolf-form… bite or kill anyone outside?"

Owl shook his head. "No. After you broke out and took out those Root agents, you ran for the exit of ANBU HQ. We tried stopping you, but you broke through our lines and were out in the streets."

"But did I bite anyone?"

Owl shook his head in the negative. "Not that we know of. After your, escape, we sent out every ANBU operative available and even some chuunin to aid us, but to no avail. It would be hours before we would see or hear anything from you again."

Remus sucked in a breath, already dreading the answer. "What happened?"

Owl sighed. "According to agent Mouse, you had snuck up on him and the chuunin with him, following them around. The chuunin only scouted ahead, despite of her Byakugan's 360 degrees vision. You attacked from behind."

Lupin felt the bile rise again. "How bad? Will they make it?"

Owl nodded. "The Hyuuga heiress, the chuunin aiding us, had to spend a few hours on life-support but she will be good as new by tomorrow. Other than that, the only injuries we got were some broken bones and bruises." He let out another dry chuckle. "Not to mention some bruised egos."

Remus nodded. He felt incredible relieved. He was sorry he, or rather Moony had killed three men, but then again, as Moony pointed out in his mind, those men would still be alive if they hadn't tried to kill them in the first place. However, he still felt terrible guilty about killing them and wounding the others. But he didn't understand one thing.

"How come yours ninjutsu didn't stop me? Your ninjutsu are much more powerful than some of ours."

Owl frowned behind his mask, and his confusion and frustration was evident. "To be frank, I have no idea. You were hit by several Lightning jutsu, but they barely slowed you down."

Neji cleared his throat slightly. "I think I can explain that."

Tsunade nodded. "Go on. But perhaps it would be best to explain why Kakashi requested your presence at this meeting?"

Neji bowed but still cast quick glance at Kakashi who gave a small nod. Addressing the room in general, Neji gave his report.

"Lord Hatake hired me for an A-rank Inter-village mission. The mission was to observe him as he transformed into a werewolf and observe any anatomical change, beyond the obvious. I was to focus mainly on weak spots and behaviour but I were also to keep track of other things that could be of interest."

Remus and Tsunade both turned their gazes at Kakashi, frowns of disapproval on their faces. Though it was for different cases. Tsunade because Kakashi hadn't consulted with her first, while Remus' was because he felt Kakashi had been very irresponsible. As if feeling their reprimands coming his way, the Copy-Ninja asked for Neji to continue.

Neji launched into describing how the bones and muscles changed, how his new chakra network exploded with life and battled Kakashi's own before overrunning it through the tendrils latching on to the original network. There was a shocked silence when Neji told them that he estimated that the amount of chakra coursing through it easily surpassed that of the fake Kisame.

Remus frowned. "But that doesn't explain why your ninjutsu didn't work. I know that werewolves are immune to most spells, it is what we call ninjutsu where I'm from, and that I have some resistance to them even when in human form, but your ninjutsu should have worked."

Owl shrugged, but Neji spoke. "As I said earlier, I think I can explain that. Every single hair of the werewolf's fur is about 85% chakra and 15% normal hair, giving the werewolf effective natural armour. But that is not all. The fur starts repelling the chakra in a ninjutsu before it even connects. Moreover, the fur acts as a conductor for the chakra. It leads the chakra in the incoming attack into the ground. And some of it is absorbed in the fur, giving it extra protection... for a short period of time. In other words, the efficiency of the ninjutsu is reduced to a bare minimum."

Naruto frowned. "I don't get it."

Neji sighed. "If a ninjutsu's attack energy is 100%, the shinobi hit with it will sustain injuries corresponding to the energy it has lost over the distance it has travelled, usually around 85%." Another sigh at Naruto's confused look. "At point blank, the target will be hit with 100% of the ninjutsu's energy. But the werewolf's fur reduces the damage to about 10%. If mid- to long range the werewolf will sustain even less injury.

Owl frowned behind his mask. "So that means our best shots are putting more chakra into our attacks or get close with our weapons?" Neji nodded, causing Owl to sigh. "Wonderful. Risk making our ninjutsu unstable or get within range with our swords and thus within range of the werewolf's arm. Fantastic."

Naruto gave a slight frown. "What about genjutsu?"

Owl shook his head. "Getting an animal under a genjutsu is no easy task. It is much harder to trick an animal's instincts than a human's mind. It can be done, but it takes time. And paralyzing techniques only work on animals for a short amount of time. And it depends highly on the size of the animal." He straightened up and gave a quick bow. "I must leave now. Hokage-sama, Kakashi, Remus-san, Neji-kun, Naruto-kun."

They nodded in turn, but he was already gone. Neji bowed as well. "I must take my leave as well. I'm expected at the clan meeting. Good day, Hokage-sama, Lord Hatake, Remus-san, Naruto." He stopped by Naruto to whisper a few words, but by the amused looks on the two older men, they heard his words quite clearly. "If you hurt Tenten, you will have Lee and me to answer to."

Naruto paled and nodded. It was still a bit strange for him to have a girlfriend, but he was enjoying their walks and talks. But it seemed he had forgotten to take her protective teammates into account. Speaking of teammates… he gulped. Sai would probably be indifferent or come with one of his less flattering comments, but how would Sakura react? Before he could ponder on it too much, Kakashi's voice brought him back to the present.

"Remus-san, did Neji-kun's explanation make any sense to you?" Remus gave a short nod. Going by the look in his eye, Kakashi had the feeling the Hyuuga prodigy's explanation had confirmed a theory of his, or given the last piece of a difficult puzzle. Turning his gaze from the older men, Kakashi focused his attention on his blond student and charge. "Naruto, Lady Tsunade says you have something to tell me?"

Naruto instantly started shuffling his feet. He didn't know what was happening with him. In the past when he got caught skulking or pulling one of his pranks, he could stand and look whoever caught him right in the face. But now, when Kakashi was looking at him with an expectant look, he felt nervous. And one brief glance at Tsunade told him that he wasn't getting out of this one. Taking a deep breath, Naruto readied himself for the disappointment and reprimand.

"Kakashi-sensei, remember our deal? That I would be allowed to drink as long I didn't do anything stupid?" Kakashi nodded, making Naruto's throat go dry. "I broke my part of the deal. I followed Sakura-chan to the Hospital as she had some work to do. I was waiting in an office for her to finish whatever business she had do to when I spotted a medical file on the desk. I tried to resist, I really did, but I read the medical file… your medical record, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi was silent for a full minute, contemplating how to answer that confession. He should be angry, he knew, but he couldn't blame Naruto for reading the file. He was too much like Minato and Kushina to just ignore it. But if the kid had read the file, that also meant.

"So you know that I'm now a werewolf like Remus-san?"

Naruto noticed the slight flinch of Remus, but decided to ignore it for now. Instead, he opted to forge on with the questions he had asked Tsunade a few nights prior.

"Why didn't you tell me Kakashi-sensei? Why didn't you tell me you had become a werewolf? Didn't you trust me to keep quiet about it? Why didn't you tell me that you might have discovered a cure to Chakra Cancer? Why?"

Naruto knew he was sounding bratty and that Tsunade might have answered the last question already, but he wanted his guardian to say it. The Copy-Ninja sighed, a tired look crossing his masked face; a tiredness that seeped into his voice when he spoke.

"I didn't tell you about me becoming a werewolf, Naruto, because I didn't want to burden you with my own problems. You have had more than enough problems to deal with… you did not need to deal with mine as well. As for not telling you about a cure…" He sighed. "Knowing you, you probably confronted the Hokage with your knowledge, asking her the same questions you just asked me. And I'm sure you told you the exact same thing as I'm about to tell you: We did not want to give you false hopes. We have yet to discuss it with Remus-san, but we will later today."

Kakashi sighed and rubbed his neck and looked at Naruto, all tiredness suddenly gone. Naruto didn't know if that was a good thing or not, and it didn't become any better when Kakashi spoke.

"Well, I think this is the time where I think up a punishment for you since you broke the rules. Though, I would like the answer to one question before I decide on your punishment."

Naruto gulped. His nervousness was increasing by the minute. He dared a quick look at Tsunade who was watching Kakashi with a slight frown. Clearly she had expected Kakashi to come up with something right away. He ventured a quick glance, but he might as well have looked at a wall; Remus' face was impassive, hiding his thoughts and emotions. Steeling himself, Naruto looked at Kakashi, hoping his voice didn't betray his nervousness.

"I'm ready."

Kakashi gave a short nod. He had seen through Naruto's mask, but he didn't comment on it. "Alright. Before I decide on your punishment, I would very much like to know what possessed you to just stand in front of werewolf instead of taking cover. Moreover, why didn't you take cover when I was battling Remus-san?"

Naruto's mouth dropped open and he gave Tsunade an accusing stare. But the Hokage gave a slight shake of her head, clearly telling him that she had not said anything. Remus' lone eye had narrowed a bit, but whether it was from anger, shock or disbelief, Naruto wasn't sure. Swallowing, he turned back to Kakashi who was giving him a hard stare.

"…"

Kakashi narrowed his eye. "I did not hear that Naruto." It was strange. He was growing angry and losing his patience and control a lot faster than usual, and he didn't like it. Reigning himself in, he spoke again. "Would you please repeat that, Naruto?"

Naruto winced. He was used to shouting, but this deceptively calm voice masking serious anger and disappointment? Hell to the no. He was almost scared to answer, but something in Kakashi's eye told him he better less he wanted to be grounded into the afterlife and beyond.

"I… I wanted to be cured. I read in your medical record that you have developed a secondary chakra network and that it somehow cured you for a Chakra Cancer. I guessed that lycanthropy meant being a werewolf so I thought… I thought that letting a werewolf bite me would cure me as well."

The reactions were instantaneous "WHAT?"

Naruto cringed and dared a look at each person in the room. Remus looked aghast and horrified to his core and looked like he wanted to give Naruto a piece of his mind, but he held his tongue. Tsunade's expression was that of fear, shock, sorrow and anger, and Naruto briefly wondered if she was having second thoughts about leaving his punishment to Kakashi. He might have told her his reasons once, and she might have said she would leave it to Kakashi to come up with how to punish him, but the look on the Sannin's face was more than enough to make him doubt those words. Swallowing, Naruto looked back at Kakashi.

The silver-haired man hadn't said anything so far, and his face and eye didn't give anything away. After another painful minute that to Naruto seemed like an hour, Kakashi heaved a deep sigh.

"I'm very disappointed in you, Naruto. You reading my personal file are bad enough, but that is nothing compared to putting yourself in unnecessary danger. I understand your reasons, but that is no excuse for putting yourself in danger like that. I will not accept it."

Naruto's eyes stung with tears that pressed to fall, but he held them back. Kakashi's words cut deeper than any knife or instrument Orochimaru had used. Feeling absolutely miserable, Naruto forced the words out.

"I will go pack my things then."

Kakashi frowned. "Pack you things? Why?"

Even that hurt. Naruto fighting back the tears that was pressing harder, choked out what he had hoped wouldn't happen again.

"You are kicking me out, aren't you? For doing something stupid. So I will just go pack my stuff and get out of your house."

Kakashi's eye went wide. Naruto thought he was going to be send packing just because he did something stupid? But before Kakashi could get really angry on whoever had been Naruto's landlords in the past, guilt and sadness crept up on him. How much of his teacher's son early life had he missed? On the day Minato and Kushina told Kakashi that Kushina was pregnant, Kakashi had sworn he would watch over and protect their baby till the day he died. And now it looks like he failed at keeping that promise… again.

Kakashi mentally shook his head. Now was not the time for being consumed by regret and self-pity. Now was the time for assuring Naruto he still had a home while also getting the message across that he would accept him putting himself in unnecessary danger.

"Naruto, look at me." Kakashi's soft voice made Naruto look up and meet his gaze. "I'm not kicking you out Naruto."

"But…"

Kakashi held up his hand, silencing the teenager. "What you did was, to be blunt, stupid and irresponsible. As your guardian, I cannot let that go unpunished. But I would never kick you out. Everyone makes mistakes and does stupid things Naruto, and no one is perfect. At least your mistake didn't cost anyone's life." He tried ignoring that little nagging voice in his mind that said, 'unlike me'. Pushing it down, Kakashi continued. "And I have decided on your punishment. Ready to hear it?"

Naruto nodded, relief shining in his eyes. "I'm ready."

Kakashi nodded. "First of all, you are going to do every household chore I give you for a month. During that month, you will also help with any D-rank mission Lady Tsunade assigns you to, granted I haven't appointed you to do anything else, without complaining. Finally, you will not be allowed to visit Tenten or have visits from her for a week."

Okay, the chores and D-rank missions, those Naruto could live with. But not seeing Tenten for a week? Now that was just pushing it. "Aw, come on Kakashi-sensei that is not fair! Tenten and I only started dating this week and now you want to keep us apart for a week? You can't do that!"

Kakashi cocked an eyebrow at Naruto's outburst. But he was not about to start a shouting match. "Actually, I believe it to be very fair. You put yourself in unnecessary danger after all." Naruto opened his mouth, clearly about to argue. But Kakashi had more on his agenda today, so he pushed on. "Or do you want to make it two weeks and a bedtime?"

Naruto gaped at Kakashi, mouth opening and closing. But just as he opened his mouth to speak, alarms started going off in his head, blaring 'Tactical error! Retreat, retreat!' Biting down further protests, Naruto nodded, knowing he had lost… for now. He was ninja after all. And besides, it wasn't if Kakashi would know about him taking a little detour, right?"

Unfortunately, Kakashi seemed to have other ideas as he bit his thumb and started forming seals, though at a much slower pace than usual due to his broken arm. Tsunade's eyes went wide.

"Kakashi! I will not…"

"Summoning jutsu!"

"Have dogs in the hospital." Tsunade sighed and muttered. "Why do I even bother?"

Once the smoke cleared, all eight of Kakashi's hounds appeared in middle of the room, much to Remus' surprise and Tsunade's annoyance. Riding on top of Bull's head, Pakkun lazily raised a paw in greeting.

"Yo, Kakashi. It has been a long time since you summoned us. What do you need done?"

Kakashi eye-smiled, doing his best to ignore Tsunade's heated glare. "Well, you see, I have become Naruto's guardian and I needed to come up with a punishment. And, well, you guys have become part of it."

Pakkun cocked an eyebrow before giving the confused and apprehensive teenager a curios glance. "What will ya have us do, Kakashi? Bite him till he learns his lesson?"

Kakashi chuckled. "No reason to resort to such violence, Pakkun. I had something else in mind."

Naruto didn't like the sound of that one bit. Not that the pug's suggestion sounded good either. "What exactly will you have them do, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi chuckled. "Not them, Naruto. You." His eye crinkled in his signature eye-smile. "Guys: Bath time."

There was silence for a few seconds before Pakkun barked out a command. "Circular Formation! Scatter!"

"Wha…"

The eight dogs had already disappeared, leaving behind a stunned Remus Lupin, a half-irate and half-amused Tsunade, a confused Naruto and an eye-smiling Kakashi.

"Better get to it Naruto. That is the first chore I'm giving you for today: Catch and give my dogs a bath."

Naruto opened and closed his mouth several times before settling for giving a slight scowl. "I… kinda hate you right now, Kakashi-sensei."

The Coy-Ninja simply kept smiling. "That might be so, but you are still going to do it. And you better hurry, for if give Pakkun more time than you already have, he will start setting traps."

Still scowling slightly at the task he had been given, though happy he hadn't been kicked out, Naruto left the room and he could soon be heard yelling something about stupid greyhounds. The annoyance vanished completely from Tsunade's face and she let out a small chuckle.

"You are evil, Brat. The teamwork of your dogs is unrivalled."

Kakashi shrugged. "Perhaps. But I have no intention of letting him off easily after that little stunt he pulled. Nor am I about to let him take a detour to meet up with his girlfriend at the first opportunity he gets. He travelled with Jiraiya-sama for a few years after all. Besides, if I can sneak in a little training to keep him in form, what is the harm?"

Tsunade chuckled, but then she frowned a little. "Wait a minute, Brat. How did you know that the Kid and Tenten now are in a relationship? You have been unconscious till about one hour ago. And none but those previously in the room have had the opportunity to talk with you. Not even the ANBU who retrieved them have had time to drop by and inform you of it. So… out with it Kakashi."

Kakashi chuckled. "I saw them sitting in a tree in the Forest of Death, cuddling together."

There was splutter and the sound of glass smashing against the floor. Turning their gazes, Kakashi and Tsunade saw the disbelieving look on Remus' face.

"What? You surprised Naruto got together with Tenten?"

Remus shook his head, Kakashi's attempt at lightening the mood not helping him at all. A suspicion was starting to form, and Remus was having very mixed thoughts on it. One part of him was intrigued, the other was slightly frightened. Shaking his head, he met Kakashi's teasing gaze.

"Not at all Kakashi. Even a blind man could tell they were falling for each other. It was just matter of time and circumstances being right. But more importantly: Tell me Kakashi, how much do you remember?"

Kakashi frowned. He had attempted easing the tension the other man had suddenly felt, but it seemed he had only made it worse. But Kakashi was sure Remus had a good reason for being so tense, even if he hadn't said why. And there was no doubt what the other man was asking about.

"What would you like to know, Remus-san?"

Lupin frowned slightly at Kakashi's question, his suspicion growing slightly. "As much as you can."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow but complied nonetheless. "I remember the moon rising and Neji-kun asking me if I was alright. Then the excruciating pain as I transformed. I was aware of my ribcage expanding, my muscles removing and reattaching themselves to my bones, my nails and teeth growing, hairs sprouting, every single bone changing. I felt my chakra running amok within and power surging through my body. Power that caused my blood to boil." Kakashi frowned, trying to recall every little detail, for by the looks on Remus' face, every detail counted. "I remember a mouse running away, the smell of a small creek. Every beat my heart made was like a clasp of thunder and the blood coursed around like a violent river." He met Remus' gaze again. "Also remember seeing anything in shades of grey. But mind you, what I just described wasn't necessarily in that order."

Remus just nodded, though he still looked shocked. "I expected that much. Remembering the pains and changes of one's first transformation in detail isn't unusual. Remembering all of those sense impressions so vividly is most uncommon, but not unheard of. Do you remember anything else?"

Kakashi frowned, wondering where Remus was going with this. "I remember the wolf finding a weak spot in the cage Yamato created and it breaking free. It fought Neji and was about to kill him when it heard yours howls and roars. And I think it smelled you as well. In either case, the wolf forgot about Neji and ran in your general direction." Kakashi shook his head, trying to clear it. "I don't know how we got there without anyone detecting us, but the wolf snuck through the forests and alleys. Then, I remember the wolf picking up speed and the next I know, my wolf spotted you right in front of Naruto and I felt his rage and bloodlust increase. Then he rammed into you, biting down on your throat."

Remus was going deadly pale by now. But he urged Kakashi to go. "Do you remember more?"

Kakashi scratched his head with his good arm. "Things get a bit more blurry for a time. I remember the wolf fighting you and hurling you into a building. Then, his eyes landed on Naruto and I could feel his hunger. He wanted to kill and eat Naruto." He scratched his neck, a slight frown forming. "I don't know how to describe it exactly, but I guess the best way would be that I was nothing but a passenger in my own body. I could see, hear and feel everything the wolf felt. But when I felt his desire to tear the flesh from Naruto's bones, it was like a fire was lit in my mind. I would not stand by and watch the wolf rip Naruto apart. I started wrestling the wolf's mind and his instincts, trying to get control over my transformed body. But it was a losing battle. I tried telling Naruto who I was, that I was losing the fight and that he should run." Kakashi let out a tired sigh. "He didn't. Instead he stretched out his hand. I lost the fight and the wolf was ready to pounce on him till you re-emerged, Remus-san."

Remus was having a hard time standing on his legs. Moving closer to Kakashi, he was painfully aware of dry his throat was. "Do you remember more?"

The Copy-Ninja closed his eyes, trying to recall the next events. After a minute or two, they came back to him, though they were blurry. "I remember us chasing Tenten, Naruto and the Hokage before entering the Forest of Death. Tsunade-sama said something to Naruto and Tenten before leaving. We must have stood there for a few minutes before we left as well. I remember us fighting each other again, the fight ending with my bruised ribs and broken arm and your wounded shoulder. At some point during the night, the wolf returned to the tree with Naruto and Tenten cuddling up. Next thing I remember is waking up here."

That was more than Remus could take. He collapsed on one of the chairs, his face ashen and eye wide. "Sweet Merlin. This goes beyond anything I imagined."

Kakashi frowned. "Last time I checked, my name was Kakashi, not Merlin. But what were you imagining?"

Remus buried his face with his hands, trying to regain reign over his thoughts. It was not easy, but he succeeded. Lowering his hands, he met Kakashi's gaze. "Kakashi, what you describe is unique. It is completely unheard of."

Kakashi was caught off guard, but he soon regained his composure. "I see. What does that mean to me?"

Remus shook his head. "I can't say. The possibilities could be limitless."

Oh? Limitless possibilities? That was something that got Kakashi's full attention. "Like what?"

Remus sighed, closed his eye for a few seconds before giving Kakashi and Tsunade a tired look. "As I said earlier, remembering the pains and changes from one's first transformation is almost normal. Remembering sense impressions are rare, but not unheard of. But remembering the entire night and battling your wolf for dominance on the first night? No one before you has ever done that. At least not that I know of."

Tsunade frowned. "You spoke of limitless possibilities. Could you name some of them?"

Remus ran a hand through his hair and considered his words carefully. Though, they were more directed towards Kakashi than the Hokage. "Back home, we have a potion that allows a werewolf to keep his human mind during the transformation. For years my people have been searching for a cure for lycanthropy… that potion, the Wolfsbane Potion, is the closest we've gotten for centuries. What Kakashi describes is pretty much identical to some of the early stages of that potion."

He sighed and continued. "It seems Kakashi has a deeper connection to the wolf inside of him than anyone before him. He might even have some power over it. For all I know, this could be his limit of control. Perhaps his control or power over it will lessen as the months go by. But for all I know, his control could also increase to the point he keep in control while transformer or, if we really push it: Keep from transforming at all."

Kakashi heard the wistfulness and envy in Remus' voice at the last part, but he didn't comment on it. But he had to admit, never transforming again sounded good. But that was a maybe, and Kakashi had bad experiences with putting maybe and ifs before matters that were right at hand.

"We will definitely have to look into that, Remus-san. But we got some urgent matters to attend to. Going by Neji-kun's description and my report, what category do you think my transformed self is? Just a guess. You guessed on Beta-plus or Beta-minus last time we spoke."

Remus sighed and closed his eye, rubbing his temples as he considered everything Neji and Kakashi had said. Tiredness and sadness washed over him as he came to a conclusion. "I was wrong. You might be smaller than me when transformed, but there is no doubt: You are an Alpha as well." He gave the younger man a sad look. "Kakashi, I'm sure you know what this means, don't you? We must never meet again once transformed. Unless a hierarchy is established, we cannot share the same place. And seeing how close we are in strength, establishing a firm hierarchy is very unlikely; we will keep challenging each other for the position of pack leader, and sooner or later, our fight will result in the death for one or both of us."

Kakashi sighed. He had expected that much. Looking at Tsunade, the Clan Lord and Hokage had a silent debate on what to do. None of them had any ideas as of now, but for this time they had time to prepare. And they had learned from their mistakes.

"Remus-san," Tsunade said, catching the lycanthrope's attention, "we will find a solution so that the two of you can transform without the risk of meeting and hurting each other or others. I made a mistake in not consulting you on our precautions, but I'm not going to make that mistake again."

Remus shook his head. "The fault is as much mine as it yours milady. I should have insisted on seeing your safety precautions, and not taken a no for an answer." He closed his eye for a brief moment, but when he felt the Sannin's gaze lingering on him, he opened his eye again. "Milady?"

Tsunade heaved a sigh. This was not going to be easy. "You heard Naruto's reason for putting himself at risk." Remus nodded, face apprehensive. "Do you think it would have worked? If he had been bitten, would it have cured it him for Charka Cancer?"

Remus' face darkened. "Whether it would or wouldn't is irrelevant, Lady Hokage. I hope you aren't suggesting that an innocent boy should carry the burden of lycanthropy?"

Tsunade shook her head. "No, I'm not. I asked you because the secondary charka network Kakashi developed after being bitten cured him for Chakra Cancer."

Remus sighed. He should not have jumped to conclusions like that. But the shock and stress of the last events were taking a toll on him. He was still sorely tempted to find Naruto and give him a piece of his mind, but it was not his place to do so. Besides, the kid was already being punished, so there was no need for him to put in his two cents. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he gave the two shinobi a tired look.

"The licks of a werewolf is said to have healing abilities, but we are lacking any substantial evidence." He closed his eye again, ignoring the throbbing from his ruined left eye. The moment he woke, his damaged left eye had felt like it was on fire. Thank Merlin for painkillers. But he was getting side-tracked. Opening his eye again, he locked gazes with the Hokage "I don't know what you are thinking Lady Hokage, but becoming a werewolf is not the answer to Naruto's problem."

Tsunade nodded. "I figured as much. But I was wondering: With the healing abilities you have through lycanthropy: Would it be possible to transfer those to another human being, say, through blood? It might help cure Naruto and heal his wounds."

Remus frowned, deep in thought. "The wounds inflicted by a werewolf are cursed. The wounds caused by a bite will never truly heal. The ones made by the claws can be healed, but it takes a long time, even if they are treated to. And the scars left behind will never fade."

Tsunade tapped her foot, growing slightly impatient. "But can one transfer the healing abilities?"

Remus shook his head. "Of that, I have no idea. It has never been tried before."

Kakashi, having long ago caught on to Tsunade's line of thought spoke up. "Orochimaru said that he created the pseudo-werewolves by isolating the virus in my blood. I'm afraid that without the right formula, we risk turning Naruto into a pseudo-werewolf as well."

Tsunade sighed. "I see. In that case…"

"We just need to isolate the healing factor in the virus."

Tsunade frowned. "What?"

Remus straightened up. "Seventy years ago, wizards were conducting experiments on werewolf blood, hoping to aid wizards and wizards who got wounded in war. They never got very far, as every subject died and they never bothered with researching the werewolf blood properly. Nor did they have the equipment." He took a deep breath. "I'm no biology or anatomy expert, but if one could isolate the healing factor, enzyme, protein, whatever it is called in the virus, one might be able to transfer the healing ability to a recipient. In moderate doses of course, seeing how an overdose might act the same way as drugs; it will kill you."

Tsunade bit her thumb, deep in thought. Her frown was soon replaced by a determined look. "It's not much to go by, but it is a start." She smiled at Remus. "You might just have done us another great service, Remus-san. Thank you. But I'm afraid I cannot stay and discuss the matter further… the paperwork is calling." She made a face at the last part.

Remus bowed his head. "If I can help in any way, I will."

Tsunade gave a short nod and left, leaving the two lycanthropes in the hospital room. Kakashi was the first to break the silence. "Thank you, Remus-san. I know you must be tired, but I have one last question… no, two actually." Remus frowned, but gave a slight nod, urging him to continue. "There is some… growling in my mind. It is low, barely noticeable, but I can still hear it. Is that…"

Remus sighed. "It is your inner wolf's mind taking form. Right now, it barely exists. But soon it will solidify and start wandering in your mind. And depending on your intelligence, it will gain the ability to talk. My wolf could talk to me within two years, and he played with my mind, urging me to do things I would never do." Remus hesitated before locking his gaze with Kakashi. "You must tell me the moment your wolf starts talking. As long as it just growls and snare, there is no need to worry. But when he starts talking, that is also the sign that he will start battling you for dominance over your body, even in human form." He let out sigh, filled with regret. "While being here, I lost control. At the time Naruto dumped that bucket of water at you, I, or rather Moony, my inner wolf, was moments away from killing you. I don't think Naruto realizes he saved your life."

Kakashi nodded. True, he was surprised and shocked at the news, but there was nothing he could do about it now. And while he was far from pleased that wolf lurking inside the man sitting opposite him, it didn't change his opinion of the man.

"I see. And have your wolf… tried killing me before?"

Remus winced but nodded. "Twice. You remember the splintering mirror and the fiery wolf?" Kakashi nodded. "Both times, Moony attempted to kill you through me. He considered you a threat, probably still does. But for now he is keeping it quiet and low."

Kakashi nodded. "I see. Do you think my wolf will perceive you the same way?"

Remus rubbed his temples once or twice. "It's possible. But let's not worry about that for now."

Kakashi gave a short nod. He felt like he might fall asleep any moment now. He guessed that it was just an aftereffect of the transformation. "You are right. No need to worry about things that might or might not happen. Second question: I'm curious about this endless possibility and limits thing. Seeing how you are our werewolf-expert, will you assist me in this endeavour?"

A shocked looked crossed Remus' face, but then he smiled. "I'm partially to blame for this mess to begin, so I must do my best to make it better. Of course I will help."

Kakashi gave a nod before yawning. Shaking his head, he shifted slightly on the bed. "Sorry about that. And I don't want to be rude but…"

Remus shook his head and stood. "Not at all, Kakashi. I would be more than surprised if you weren't tired. It will take some time, but the tiredness will decrease with the transformations. And your arm should be as good as new by tomorrow or the day after, as long the bones are realigned correctly. Now, I will leave so you can get some rest."

Kakashi nodded and gave a little wave with his good hand. Mumbling something about how much he hated hospitals, he fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

00000

Naruto sat on the bench on the Hatake Mansion's porch, gazing at the stars twinkling merrily in the sky. He was tired and exhausted, but he couldn't sleep. Chasing Kakashi's ninken and then brawling with them while washing them was not something one did easily. Especially Bull and Pakkun had been quite a challenge. The brown pug was a menace pushing his every button and using his teeth to snap at his fingers, making him damn near impossible give a bath. Bull might be the gentle giant in the pack and didn't use his teeth and claws to prevent Naruto from washing him. Instead, he simply planted his backside firmly in the ground and Naruto couldn't drag him from the spot any more than one could make Jiraiya stop peeking at young woman in a bath house. At some point, Naruto had ended up sprawled at the ground, and in the next moment, over sixty kilos of bulldog was sitting on the blonde Jinchuuriki, refusing to budge, completely ignoring Naruto's struggling, pleas and profanities. Well, almost ignoring him. At some point in time, Naruto had called him overgrown fleabag. Bull had decided to rub his rump, grinding Naruto in the dirt. It had taken a lot of bribery and flattering to get the other dogs on his side and get them to convince Bull to move and let Naruto give him a bath. And as if to add insult to injury, Pakkun had told Naruto that they had went easy on him. Damn their teamwork.

The reason he couldn't sleep: Nightmares. He was afraid to go to sleep. If his nightmares weren't plagued by the torture done to him by Orochimaru, he dreamed of a werewolf ripping every person he held dear to pieces. And his fear of the man had only increased after the last full moon and his nightmares.

Naruto shivered and rubbed his bare arms. He was only wearing his pants and a black t-shirt, the necklace he had won from Tsunade glinting in the light provided by the waning moon and stars. A cold wind was blowing from west, bringing black skies with it.

"You should consider wearing something warmer if you intend to stay up all night watching the stars."

Naruto almost jumped seven feet into the air and he was sure his heart skipped a beat. Turning his head, he felt the colour drain from his face when he saw Remus watching him from the open door. Schooling his face into a mask of indifference, he resumed staring into the sky, though he kept a wary eye on the other man.

"What do you want?"

Lupin let out silent sigh, but he did notice how Naruto kept an eye on him as he walked closer. "To talk."

Naruto turned his head to look fully at him, eyes narrowing slightly. "I don't trust you."

Remus nodded. He figured that was understandable given their past experiences with each other. "I'm not expecting you to." He sat down on Naruto's left, noticing how the kid's whole body tensed. It was a fight or flight preparation. Most likely the latter as he could smell Naruto's fear. "Don't be afraid of me.

Naruto scowled at him. "I'm not afraid."

Remus turned his head slightly, looking directly into the blonde's eyes. "But you are."

Naruto was getting angry now. Anger was better than fear. "I'm not!"

Remus just continued looking into his eyes, having seen through Naruto's mask of anger before it was even in place, and when his spoke, his voice was as calm as ever. "Your mouth says one thing, but your body betrays you."

Naruto almost jumped to his feet, ready to deck the man. However, a slight narrowing of Lupin's eye had him flinching and scooting slightly away. But before he could come up with something to say, Remus spoke up again.

"I doubt my presence in the house isn't the only thing bothering you. But until you trust me, I'm guessing you won't tell me what it is. And you clearly won't tell Kakashi either, or you would have done so already. So I guess my question will be: How do I make you trust me?"

Naruto stared at him a moment. He hadn't heard anything mocking in the man's voice, but that wasn't good enough. Naruto was suddenly very aware that he didn't have any weapons on him where as Remus Lupin was armed. He might not be carrying the sword that once belonged to Orochimaru, but Naruto knew he hid the wand somewhere in there.

"Would you hand over your greatest weapon if I asked for it?"

Remus regarded the boy for a few seconds before flicking his wrist, causing the wand to appear in his hand. He turned it in his hands, putting the handle forth for Naruto to take. "Here. The words to kill me are Avada Kedavra."

Naruto stared at him, then at the wand handle presented to him and back into the face of Remus Lupin. Naruto couldn't believe that the man, who knew Naruto didn't trust him, had handed over his primary weapon and told him how to kill him with it. Taking the wand, the teenager felt a strange tingle in his arm before he pointed the tip of the wand right at Remus' face. Lupin didn't even move a muscle.

"Those two words would end your life?"

Lupin nodded. "Yes. And those two ANBU soldiers hiding in the trees sixty feet away would probably thank you, seeing how they are tailing me twenty-four hours a day."

Naruto glanced at the tree Remus mentioned, but kept the wand levelled. "Avada Ke…" The words died on his lips and he lowered the wand. He couldn't do it. It was just… wrong. "I can't do it. I trust you."

Remus cocked an eyebrow, and gave a small happy smile as Naruto returned his wand. "I'm glad to hear that. What convinced you?"

Naruto hesitated, mulling over his answer. But it came faster than he thought it would. "I suppose there are several reasons. Firstly you have had plenty of opportunities to kill me or hand me over to Konoha's enemies, but you haven't acted on any of them. The same with Kakashi-sensei, and he trusts you. Secondly, you have always been there with a cup of hot chocolate after my nightmares. And anyone who willingly gives his primary weapon to a person whom he knows distrust him and tell said person how to kill him is either taking one hell of a risk or putting absolute trust in the other part. Lastly…" Naruto licked his lips nervously, wondering if he was making a mistake. But Lupin had trusted him with his life. It was the absolute trust one could give. Now… he had to show the same trust. "I trust you because we are the same. I'm a Jinchuuriki. I host the Kyuubi, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, within me."

Remus' eye widened in shock. But then he recalled Moony's words from when he first arrived. _He kinda smells like one of our kin, but not quite. I sense great evil within him. Evil that surpasses my own. _When combining those words with Moony's history lesson and Kisame's interest in the teenager beside him, it didn't take long for Remus to figure out just who and what the Nine-Tails was.

"One of the Bijuu. I see. And I take it is a great secret of yours?"

Naruto frowned. "The whole village's secret, actually." Remus raised an eyebrow, clearly wanting the teenager to elaborate. "Pretty much everyone older than me knows that the Nine-Tails is sealed inside of me. But the Third Hokage decreed that it was forbidden for them to speak of it. I guess old Grandpa Hokage wanted me to have a chance at making friends among my own generation." He chuckled darkly. "It didn't work out so well. Most of the grownups still found ways to turn their children against me. They saw me as the Nine-Tails itself, not a kid. I only found out why when I was twelve."

Remus was shocked to his core. Then anger began welling up in him. What kind of people would treat an innocent child like that? Lupin himself had been subjected to a lot of hate and prejudice in his life, but this was something else. But at least he knew why people resented him. But Naruto's case was something differently entirely. He had been punished for something he didn't even have any recollection of, much less do. And something that was ironic, but far from funny: Harry had been subjected to the opposite. He had been worshipped as a hero since he was one year old without knowing why.

Hoping to calm his rising anger, preferably before he blasted those ANBUs, Lupin took a few calming breaths and asked. "What about your classmates?"

Naruto smiled. "They are great. There are Team Kurenai consisting of Kiba, Hinata and even though he is sort of creepy, Shino. Then there are Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji. Then there Tenten-chan's team, though they are all a year older than me. Sakura-chan is great and while he is a weirdo, I consider Sai a great comrade of mine." He hesitated a moment, a sad look crossing his face. "Then there is Sasuke, but he hasn't been in the village for almost three years. He left, consumed by his hatred and desire for revenge. But one day, I'm going to save him and bring him back."

Remus closed his eye. He knew all too well what thoughts of vengeance could do to a man. It could change you till there was nothing left but hatred and darkness, until one was barely a shadow of one's former self. Luckily, Remus hadn't ended up like that. The Marauders and Lily had helped him retain his sanity and humanity. But it was the fewest who turned from revenge once they had taken the first steps down that road. They had to wish to stop with all their soul, or any attempts at convincing them that revenge isn't the way are doomed to fail from the beginning.

Opening his eye, Remus gazed into the sky, murmuring softly. "Revenge… hatred. They are terrible things Naruto, and their powers should never be underestimated. They can a man like no other thing can. They can make the one consumed blind to everything and everyone but their own wants." He let out a low chuckle, but it held no humour. "Ironically enough, their opposites, love and forgiveness, also tend to make people blind to reality, ending in the destruction of the many because they cannot see the truth and keep making excuses for their affiliation."

Naruto frowned. "So you are saying that love and forgiveness is as bad as revenge and hatred?"

Lupin shook his head. "No. Forgiveness and love… revenge and hatred… they are some of the most powerful emotions in the world. And they are some of the most dangerous as well. I believe that all human beings harbour these feelings. And we should have them. But when they start controlling you instead of you controlling them, then it gets dangerous." He turned his gaze, locking at the teenager beside him. "When one learns to love, one will without a doubt learn to hate as well. And it is easy going from love and forgiveness to hatred and revenge. Going the other way however…now that is much more difficult, but not impossible."

Naruto was silent for a moment, looking at the sky. "Are you saying I should give up on Sasuke?"

Remus shook his head again. "I cannot tell you what to do, Naruto. I can only tell you what have worked for me and what haven't. But in the end, only you can decide what you do."

Naruto sighed and stared into the forest surrounding them. "Thank you, Remus-san. You wanted to know what is bothering me, right?"

Remus nodded. "Yes. But only if you want to talk about it."

Naruto turned his head to look at the man beside him before looking into the sky. "I just feel so helpless and useless right now. Without access to my chakra… I cannot use my jutsu. Without my jutsu I can never become Hokage. I'm never going to be in a war and get recognition, like the heroes of the Kannabi Bridge did."

Remus turned his head slowly, giving the young man a piercing stare. "If you had ever been in a war, Naruto, you wouldn't be speaking like that. But if you have to fight in a war, don't do it for recognition. Do it to protect your loved ones and end it quickly. If you believe in any god, pray that you will never have to fight in one. But I fear you will have to fight in one soon."

Naruto frowned, suddenly worried. "Remus-san?"

Remus closed his eye for a few seconds before looking at the stars. "Naruto, a war is coming. When it comes… we better be prepared."

That didn't exactly help Naruto as he now felt worried for Remus, and incredible confused. "What do you mean?"

Remus bit his lip, a slight frown forming as he pondered how to answer the boy's question. "The way Akatsuki operates is eerily similar to the way of Voldemort and his Death Eaters." He looked at Naruto for a few seconds, making sure the boy was following him. "Twice Voldemort has risen to power. Both times it started with mysterious disappearances of special people and them causing panic wherever they go. Akatsuki is no different. Both works in the shadows, disappearing just as quickly as they appear. I don't know when Akatsuki will declare open war, but sooner or later, they will."

Naruto felt like all the wind had been knocked out of him. Regaining his composure to the best of his ability, he jumped to his feet. "We… we have to warn Kakashi-sensei and Granny Tsunade!"

He was about to run off, but Remus' soft voice made him stop in his tracks. "There is no need for that, Naruto."

Spinning on his heel, Naruto stared at the elder man sitting at the bench. "What do you mean there is no need? Of course we need to…"

"There is no need to tell them, because they already know." Lupin sighed and met the gaze of the confused teenager. "Naruto, you are young. And you have never seen war. Kakashi, the Hokage, Yamato, Jiraiya… even Gai, is well aware that a war is coming. They have seen war before and are recognizing the signs of a new one brewing. I would not be surprised if all the shinobi the same age as Kakashi are already preparing for it."

Naruto frowned. "How can you tell that I have never seen war? I might not have fought in one, but I have been on plenty of dangerous missions and in a lot of fights."

Lupin closed his eye for a few second before letting out a breath and meeting the blonde's gaze again. "Because your eyes hold innocence in them that those who have seen war can only dream of having again, if only for a moment." His voice dropped so that Naruto had to strain his ears to hear him. "War is hell, Naruto. Families are torn apart, friends dying. There is nothing glorious about war. There is only pain, suffering, sorrow, hatred and death."

Naruto, shaken, clenched his fists. "If a war comes, I will keep my friends save, no matter what it takes. I will give my life for them."

Remus tilted his head to the left, regarding Naruto for a few moments. "Of that, I have no doubt. But… will you accept that they might be willing to give their lives to keep you safe?" He closed his eye for a second, knowing that his next words would not be well liked. "War changes a man, Naruto. And it puts you and your morals to the tests. You say you will protect your friends… but can you protect them from one another? What will you do if one you called a friend turn out to be a traitor and become responsible for the deaths of some of your other friends?"

Naruto opened his mouth to respond, but then he closed it again. The truth was he had no answer to Remus' question. Walking on slightly shaking legs, he plumped down on Lupin's right. "Why do ask me this?"

Remus sighed. "Because that happened to me seventeen years ago." He took off his cloak, revealing the standard Konoha uniform underneath, and draped it over Naruto's shoulders. "As I said before, I cannot tell you what to do Naruto. But I know one thing: Our names and powers do not define who we are. What define us are the choices we make. And now, I will go to bed. Goodnight, Naruto."

Remus started for the door, but before he could even take a single step, Naruto's soft voice stopped him. "Why didn't you say anything when you learned what I did a few nights ago?"

Lupin raised an eyebrow. He did know what he was referring to, but the question was not something he expected to be asked. "I thought that was obvious Naruto. Seeing how I'm not your father, guardian or teacher, it was not my place to scold and punish you."

Naruto gave him a quizzical look. That had never stopped people before. Then he looked down into the ground, shame building up. "Why did you want to help me, Remus-san? You were there after every nightmare, and yet I gave you the cold shoulder. I behaved like a brat. I'm sorry."

Remus let out a sad sigh. "Because I felt responsible for what happened to you. Had I realized that scroll in the forest had been a Portkey earlier you wouldn't be in this mess. Besides, as a member of the older generation, it is my most important role to help you in any way I can." He let out a small chuckle. "And don't worry about behaving like a brat. I would be more worried if you weren't, as that would mean Orochimaru had managed to break you." Then he let out a chuckle and hesitantly reached out and ruffled Naruto's hair. "Besides, being moody is a teenager's right. But I would appreciate it if you would refrain from hitting me again."

Naruto blushed and a sheepish grin appeared on his face as he rubbed his neck. "Sorry about that. You were only trying to save my skin. But I won't hit you again, I promise."

Remus smiled. "Glad to hear it. Goodnight Naruto." He made for the door, but when he reached it, he stopped. "Naruto… one more thing."

The Jinchuuriki turned his head. "Yeah?"

Remus looked directly into Naruto's eyes. "You never have to fight alone. Your friends and those who care for you will always have your back and be ready to help you whenever you need it. Never forget that. Goodnight."

With that he walked into the house, leaving Naruto to think over Lupin's words. Tightening the cloak around him, he whispered words not even a werewolf's sensitive ears would have been able to pick up. "Goodnight… and thank you… Remus-sensei."

End chapter 23.

Teaser for next chapter:

"What an interesting combination Remus-san. If you master those elements, you could be a very troublesome opponent. And now it's time for me to try something new."

00000

"What do you want, Moony."

"I want to propose a deal, Remus. One that would benefit us both Are you interested?"

"… I'm listening."

00000

"This must be… the ultimate level necromancy."

00000

"I have been working on this jutsu for the last sixteen years. Minato-sensei asked me to take it to take it to the next level."

0000

"To think that he is a descendant of that human."

AN: Whew, this took some time and was quite a challenge to write. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. :) And thank you to all those who have read, reviewed and added to alerts and favourites.

ElementUchihaMaster: Sasuke probably will make an apperance if I can come up with the right situation and circumstances. But nothing is certain yet.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Element Secrets Unveiled.

Remus looked at the pieces of papers in his hands, then at the silver-haired man standing a few metres away from him, memories of the last time they tried this flooding back to him. "Kakashi, are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, you only just got out of hospital?"

Kakashi waved his hand. "Meh, no worries Remus-san. It will only make you grey before your time." Kakashi didn't feel the need to him he had ditched the Hospital last evening; easier and faster than signing all the discharge forms. Tsunade was probably going to throw a fit once she found out, like she always did, but then things would go back to normal. But that wouldn't be till she was finished with treating Naruto, and that would be at least another hour. Kakashi had offered to go with him, but Naruto insisted that Sakura and Tenten would be support enough. And speaking of support. "Remus-san, you haven't seen Yamato on your way here, have you?"

Lupin just shook his head, staring at the pieces of papers in his hands. "So let me get this straight: When I transfer a bit of my chakra to the paper in my right hand, my wand arm, it will show my attack chakra affinity while the one in my left will show my defence? Afterwards, I will have to grasp one piece of chakra paper in both of my hands in order to find out my core affinity as you call it?"

Kakashi nodded. "That about sums up what Orochimaru said." He continued on when he saw Remus raise an eyebrow and give him a very sceptical look. "I know what you are thinking: Trusting Orochimaru, are you crazy? Well, you wouldn't be the first to ask me that question. And to be honest, I'm not sure he wasn't trying to pull my leg. Then again, he likes to boast. If he was the one to come up with a way for your kind to find out your affinities, he wouldn't lie about how he did it. Not to mention, I have a suspicion that Bellatrix might have used this method to find out her affinities."

Remus looked at the paper again, this time with distaste. The thought that he was about to repeat something Bellatrix had done did not sit well with him. It felt wrong doing anything that that psychotic murderer would do.

'_Idiot. You will never beat Bellatrix like this. And don't give me that bullshit that she is dead. You wouldn't have trouble sleeping if it wasn't for that nagging feeling that she is still out there.'_

Remus gritted his teeth. Moony had a point. Ever since escaping Orochimaru's hideout, he hadn't been able to shake the feeling that Bellatrix was alive. Glancing up, he noticed Kakashi's curious and slightly expectant look. And if he had to be honest with himself, ever since learning a few ninjutsu and different affinities, he had been curious about what affinity he would have.

'Alright, here goes.'

He transferred some chakra into his hands. Instantly, the chakra paper in his right hand burst into white flames while the one in his left disintegrated, utterly soaked.

Kakashi tilted his head. "Fascinating. So your secondary chakra natures are fire and water, the former being for attack while the latter is for defence." He held up a third piece of chakra paper as he walked closer. "Time to find out your core affinity that can be used for both offensive and defensive jutsu." The Copy-Ninja handed Lupin the chakra paper and stepped back.

Remus gently formed a tiger seal, holding the chakra paper with his index and middle fingers. Then he ran his chakra into the paper. At first, nothing happened. Remus briefly wondered if he was doing something wrong. But then, the chakra paper wrinkled itself till it was a quarter of its original size.

"What the…"

Kakashi smiled as he stepped forward again. "Wrinkling. Well Remus-san, your core nature, the nature you can use for to both attacking and defending is lightning. I'm lightning natured as well."

Remus cocked an eyebrow. "You are?"

Kakashi smirked. "Yep. No need to look so surprised. We are very much alike you and I." He tilted his head slightly, moving a hand up to his headband. "Lightning, fire and water… what an interesting combination Remus-san. If you master those elements, you could be a very troublesome opponent. But first, let me tell you a little about the different element natures."

Remus nodded. Getting to learn more about his supposed natures and the others were bound to be interesting. Kakashi cleared his throat as he began his explanations.

"Your affinity depends on your personality in a battle situation. For instance, lightning types are level-headed and calm, but they are devastating like a lightning bolt once unleashed. And like lightning, you get subtle warnings that an attack is on its way, but you can never predict where they will hit and they never strike the same place twice in a row."

Remus nodded. That sounded like him alright. When he had prank duels with James and Sirius, they always said they always knew when he was about to attack. But they could never guard against him as there was no pattern in where he would strike. He would aim for every part of their bodies and sooner or later one hit would get through, and once one jinx got through, the entire barrage would hit them. He smiled. "Sound like me. What about fire?"

Kakashi gave a small nod. "Fire types are very fierce when fighting and more than once, they get out of control and destroy everything on their way without caring. They also tend to put too much faith into their powers and grow arrogant while fighting. And they have quite the temper. Though, if the ninja also have water, the arrogance can be evened out."

Lupin frowned. That sounded a little like him. During their prank duels, it was not unusual for their dormitory to be reduced to something akin to a warzone. And it had happened he had underestimated his opponents when he was younger. It wasn't often, but it happened.

"Hmm… I'm not much for admitting it, but it sounds like me… when I was younger. What about water types?"

"People with water affinity are to start with calm and collected, but it doesn't take much for them to change into a raging monster. Just like a small drizzle can change into a regular downpour or a tidal wave to rise on a quiet beach. They hit with tremendous power and retreats slowly."

The elder of the two men thought about his younger friend's description of people with an affinity for water. Well, that fitted him quite a bit as well. He had to patient with James, Sirius and Peter as roommates. But once angry, they knew when to shut up and give him a wide berth. But he had to admit that the descriptions for fire and water didn't fit him quite as well as the one for lightning.

"And what about those with affinities for earth and wind?"

"Wind types are much like those with an affinity for water. They can change in matter of seconds. But unlike water, you never know when the storm settles down. It can go on for days or be over in few minutes. Wind types are unpredictable. Naruto is the proof of that."

Kakashi chuckled a bit before continuing.

"Earth types are usually sturdy people who rely on their brute force. And are way too stubborn when it comes to acknowledging defeat and they just refuses to die. Your attacks have some effect on them, like wind and water on cliffs, but unless you have some destructive power that can take care of them in a flash, you better prepare yourself for a long fight. And like with an earthquake, you must watch out for aftershocks as they can be worse than the first earthquake."

Remus nodded his understanding. A thoughtful frown crossed his face as he held out his right hand, fire spring to life in his palm. "And am I correct in assuming that the five elements have strength and weakness relations to each other?"

Kakashi nodded, a smile hidden behind his mask. "Right you are. If we take lightning, for example, it is weak against Wind, but strong against Earth. Earth loses against Lightning, but beats Water. Water is weak against Earth, but trumps Fire. And Fire defeats Wind."

As to prove his point, Kakashi quickly formed the rat seal to gather a bit of chakra before holding out his hand above Remus', letting water pour down on the flames held by the other man. "Fire, Earth, Water, Wind and Lightning; those are the five primary elements. As I said, all of them are strong against one element and weak against another. Though, there are exceptions. It depends heavily on the amount of chakra put into the opposing jutsu, the user's mastery of the element and if the opposing jutsu is being backed up by one that enhances its power. In short, one could say the strength and weakness relations are only guidelines… there are… exceptions to them."

Remus took it all in, repeating it in his head. Then he noticed that Kakashi had almost put out the fire in his hand. "I see. Is it possible to combine two elements into one?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yes. Some can do it, like Yamato. He creates Wood Element by combining Earth and Water. Those unions are called Kekkei Genkai, or simply put, Bloodline Limits. The ability to combine two elements is hereditary and cannot be copied by anyone outside of the clan. So even with my Sharingan, I cannot copy a Bloodline jutsu and…"

The reason Kakashi trailed off was because the fire in Lupin's palm was increasing. Smiling, the Copy-Ninja increased the amount of chakra in his jutsu, thus putting it out. Or at least, that was the plan. Instead, the blazes grew higher till they were an inch below Kakashi's fingertips. Cancelling his jutsu, Kakashi gazed in curiosity at the blue flames dancing in Lupin's palm.

"Remus-san, what are these?"

A small smile crossed Remus' face and a mischievous light entered his eye. "An exception. These flames won't be beaten by water." He looked at Kakashi. "They are called Bluebell flames. They don't require fuel or oxygen to burn, so they are waterproof. And they don't burn the surface they are conjured on. Here, try it."

Kakashi automatically held out his hand and watched with a curious eye as Lupin moved the blue flames to his hand. Kakashi tried adding chakra to them; the fire rose. He decreased the amount of chakra; the flames lessened. Finally, he brought them back to the level they were at when Lupin gave them to him. He let out a chuckle.

"You, Remus Lupin, are full of surprises."

"OI, Kakashi-sensei, Remus-sensei!"

The two men turned their heads. Naruto was walking between Tenten and Sakura, leaning on them for support. Except, he didn't exactly look like Naruto.

'Orange jacket and pants, check. Headband, check. Whiskers, hidden beneath the mask, check. Wait… mask?'

Naruto was indeed wearing a mask that covered the lower part of his face and his whiskers. Smiling as the three teenagers walked closer and took a seat in the shade, Kakashi noticed Yamato walking towards them as well.

"So," Kakashi asked as he sat down, "how did it go?"

Naruto smiled behind his mask. "It hurt like hell and I'm tired, but we have good news." He frowned a bit. "Though I'm not sure I understand it completely. Sakura-chan, could you?"

Sakura nodded as Naruto and Tenten leaned against a tree, making themselves comfortable. "Sure. Remus-san, you have given us ten blood samples since your transformation one week ago, correct?" Remus nodded as he and Yamato took a seat as well. "Well, since you gave us the first, Shizune-senpai, Lady Tsunade and I have worked with several of members of the Hyuuga clan, analysing your blood and the chakra down to its finest detail. After that, we ran several tests on scrolls similar to those used to try out antidotes, but these scrolls were containing samples of the poison, Chakra Cancer and Naruto's DNA."

Remus nodded, though he wasn't quite sure he understood the explanation about scrolls. Then again, he had seen stranger things. And since his last transformation, Remus had spent most of his time pouring over scrolls and books with Kakashi, Shizune, Sakura and Tsunade, hoping to map the structure of the werewolf-virus. He would be lying if he said he understood the medical and theoretical method Tsunade had come up with, but the theory was that they were going to inject the healing factor of the werewolf-virus in Naruto's blood and chakra network. Now, he was anxious to hear the results. "And?"

Sakura smiled. "We succeeded in finding and isolating the healing factor. With help from the Hyuuga clan and their knowledge of chakra and its forms, and with Lady Tsunade's knowledge of the human body and biology, we finally succeed in creating a serum and salve with the werewolf-virus' healing properties. The serum was injected near his right shoulder nearly three hours ago." She stuck her hand into one of her pockets and pulled out a vial containing black that was a mix of gas and liquid. "And this is the reaction we got. The serum forced the Chakra Cancer to surface through Naruto's skin and we collected a few samples. The Hyuuga and about twenty of some of the best Medic-nins, including Tsunade-sama, are now analysing the samples."

Naruto smiled. "You guys are the best, Sakura-chan. Even though it hurt like hell, I can now do this without feeling pain." He held out his right hand, and after a few seconds, a swirl of chakra appeared, just like the one that appeared when Kakashi began forming the Rasengan when Naruto started training for his Rasen-Shuriken. Focusing a bit more, he pumped even more energy into it, and soon a little ball of concentrated chakra appeared in the swirl. "It's not much, but it's an improvement."

Kakashi smiled. He had not exactly expected to see result so soon. Nevertheless, it was some of the best news he had heard in a while. "That is great Naruto." He smiled to his other student. "Great work, Sakura. You also mentioned a salve? What exactly does it do?"

Sakura rubbed her neck, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks at the praise and a little out of embarrassment. "It was somewhat a coincidence. A few drops hit the branding scars on Naruto when we injected the serum. We are not sure of the mechanisms and effect just yet, but according to Naruto, the healing session was not quite as painful as the last one."

The blonde nodded. "It still hurt a lot, but this time was more like a throbbing instead of constant burning."

Kakashi eye-smiled. "That is indeed good news, Naruto. I'm happy for you." Then he opened his eye, and curiosity was to be found in his voice. "But why the mask?"

Naruto grinned broadly behind his mask, if the creasing of the fabric was anything to go by. "Well, since you are now my guardian and I've been enrolled into your clan, I guessed I started dressing like a Hatake and you, if only a little." He made a thumb-up sign, his thumb pointing at himself. "So, how does it look? Pretty good, right?"

Kakashi simply stared at his student and charge, dumbstruck. Dressing like him because of him being his guardian? A sudden image of Naruto dressing exactly like him reminded him of Lee copying Gai's fashion and then he remembered Jiraiya telling him how Naruto had initially reacted when presented with the monstrosity Gai called clothes. Something told Kakashi that if he didn't do something about this, a most unfortunate trend might start.

The kid hadn't stopped smiling and the others were looking on in clear amusement. Kakashi studied Naruto for a moment more before telling his opinion. "In all honesty, Naruto? You look silly. People will still recognize you and know who you are."

Four mouths dropped open in disbelief and their pupils vanished comically as they gaped at the Copy-Ninja saying that with a straight face. The werewolf dressed in a cloak simply raised his eyebrows, a smile tugging at his lips. Lupin had to come understand some of Kakashi's small quirks, but he had to admit, the teenagers and Yamato's reaction was priceless. Now it was just a matter of who would get out of the stupor first. Surprisingly, Naruto was the first to recover. Pointing at Kakashi with a finger, he started yelling in the same he did when Jiraiya wanted money for tips on the Rasengan.

"Silly? Well then, you look silly as well, Kakashi-sensei! People recognize you as well, mask or no mask, believe it!"

Remus looked at the two girls and Yamato. They obviously agreed with Naruto, and if to be honest, Remus himself did as well. However, he had seen the small darkening in Kakashi's eye, however brief it was. This was about more than fashion and the practical use of the mask. He was not disappointed, for Kakashi exhaled deeply. When he, his voice was tired with what could only be nervousness and resignation.

"Perhaps that is true, Naruto. But the reason I don't look silly with the mask on is because I'm fully aware of its true meaning."

Naruto stopped his glare, and his finger dropped to the ground. The atmosphere had changed from carefree and light to heavy and oppressing. "True meaning? What are you talking about, Kakashi-sensei?"

Remus looked at Kakashi, scrutinizing him. His body was tense, and his bared eye held darkness in it, but the elder werewolf couldn't identify what it was. He was sure of one thing, however: Whatever Kakashi was about to talk about was not something pleasant. He just had no idea how unpleasant it would be, for it would reveal more of the shinobi culture.

Kakashi pondered how to proceed. Then he figured that there was no easy way to tell it actually. He just had to make sure they all understood. It was somewhat just another lecture at the Academy (what possessed the Third to have him as a guest teacher that day every year, Kakashi would never know) or another mission briefing. He just had to keep to facts and try answering their questions, if any, as best as he could.

"The early Hatake believed that when you die, your soul exits through the mouth. The masks acted as a filter that would keep the sins of the Hatake inside his body. And when the mask was burned alongside his body, his sins would disappear for good, allowing his soul to go untainted to the afterlife. Likewise was it to protect the Hatake clan members from the sins of the shinobi they killed, as they believed that the soul of the enemy would seek to enter their body through the mouth and live on there, taking all their sins with them." He sighed sadly. "Under my ancestor, Kakashi Hatake the Fifth, it became costume for the Hatake to wear three masks in battle in order to protect their souls."

Remus frowned. That did not sound good. He spoke the simple word that mirrored the thoughts of the three teenagers and Yamato. "Why?"

Kakashi took a deep breath, steeling himself for the darkest part of his family's history. "It was about 300 years before the First Hokage was born. The shinobi clans had yet to start fighting for money. A few members of the Hatake clan was planning a coup 'tat against my ancestor, Kakashi the Fifth as he was amassing weapons for what could only be an insane dream of rebuilding the first Shinobi Empire the Third Kakashi Hatake build hundreds of years before. The Fifth was at that time experimenting with his already powerful Blood-Ninjutsu. Their plans were discovered. Fearing for their life, and wanting something to bargain with, they stole the Hatake Clan's scroll on Blood-Ninjutsu and made a run for it. Angered, the Fifth gave chase. He caught up to them, and they were killed. However, before the last of them died, he told the enraged clan leader that he had given the scroll to the leader of the Uzumaki Clan, the Hatake Clan's neighbour. He, according to the Hatake's version of the story at least, sent out emissaries to the Uzumaki Clan, requesting and later demanding that the scroll to be returned. According to the Hatake version, the Uzumaki refused."

Kakashi sighed. He clearly had their undivided attention.

"It was the start of a war that would last for twenty long years and was the longest war of its time. And the most vicious. It started out shinobi fighting shinobi head-on, but, determined to break the Uzumaki, my ancestor took to more brutal measures. He burned down their houses during a cold winter. The Uzumaki retaliated in kind by torching their food stores. From there it just escalated until another cold winter many years later where the Uzumaki poisoned all food and water of the Hatake and burned down their houses, food stores and nearby forests and every livestock they had. The winter that followed was extremely hard, and it cost many of the Hatake their lives; especially among the old, children and those who had been severely wounded in battle. Enraged, the Fifth led the most elite warriors of the clan in a sneak attack on the Uzumaki's main city. The Fifth Kakashi was killed in that attack, but he left behind a devastated and terror-stricken Uzumaki clan. The Fifth and his elites had specifically targeted all the children and young woman of twenty-five and younger, and killed them. The Uzumaki leader survived the attack and was planning retribution, but when the Fifth Kakashi's son, Kakashi the Sixth, arrived in the form of a tornado and offered a truce, he was partly pressed by his own people and the Sixth's power into accepting. The truce turned into a peace agreement. The Uzumaki would help the Hatake rebuild and restock and hand over the scroll. In return, the Hatake would help them use the Blood-Ninjutsu of the Hatake Clan in their sealing jutsu and come to their aid in times of war should they ever call for it. The war had taken its toll on both clans and both were weakened. Luckily, it never came to a war. At that time, no one dared attack Kakashi Hatake, Lord of Air, and his allies. Having grown up in a time of war, and witnessed the destruction and carnage the war had brought, the young clan leader swore that never again should his clan partake in war again in his lifetime, unless absolutely necessary. He led his people to where the Hidden Cloud is to be found today and used his power to form a natural fortress. The Uzumaki retreated to the Whirlpool Country. With the Hatake's might greatly weakened, the scene was set for two clans of tremendous power to take over: The Senju and Uchiha. However, despite their power and numbers, none of them were keen on challenging the Hatake, as they had seen the horror they could bring, choosing instead to fight each other."

Naruto had a lump in this throat. All of that over a scroll. But what really worried him was who the Hatake Clan had fought. "Kakashi-sensei… your clan… fought with… with… with my clan? And killed hundreds… thousands of Uzumaki's? Of innocents?"

Kakashi looked Naruto in the eyes. He had known from the start that the bloody history of their clans would have to be brought up sooner or later, but he had hoped it wouldn't be so soon. That time had always been difficult to talk about for the Hatake afterwards, and Kakashi could only guess how shocking it might be to the sole survivor of the Uzumaki clan to learn that his clan had waged war against his guardian's clan long before they were even born. Today, they were the lone survivors of their respective clans.

"Yes, Naruto, they did."

The blonde clenched his fists. All of his anger, fear and grief over his current situation were surfacing. "How… how could they do it? Killing off innocents like that? Killing children!"

"War…" Remus spoke up, his voice thick with emotion and a slow flow of tears. "That is what a war is like, Naruto. Remember our chat the other night? How war brings nothing but destruction, pain, suffering, hatred and death? The Hatake and Uzumaki conflict is a prime example of that. No matter the time and its weapons, no matter the foes, no matter the world: The effects of war are universal. Many die because of the conflict of the few, and more often than not, innocents are caught in the crossfire or are used as weapon against the other side. Voldemort… my world's Orochimaru… targeted innocent civilians and his opponents in order to press our government to surrender. He and his followers killed men, women and children alike without remorse. Among them were my parents, my wives and two of my children."

Lupin inhaled deeply, attempting to stop the flow of tears. "When my parents died, I would stop at nothing to get revenge. My friends in school helped me overcome my desire for revenge. Then, when I came home that night where my first wife and two children were killed, I went ballistic. I slaughtered some of them who had taken away my family. Afterwards, I realized that I just might have done what was done to me years earlier; I might have made more war orphans and robbed innocent children of their parents." The tears stopped flowed and in looked Naruto in the eyes. "War changes a man, Naruto. Sometimes for the better, and sometimes, for the worse, as your morals are put to the test."

Kakashi nodded, keeping an eye on the younger shinobi's reaction. "Indeed it does. That was one point I hoped to prove with the story. The other point and that goes especially for your generation, Naruto, Sakura, Tenten: Don't have any illusions. For no matter what you might hear, fact remains that all clans and villages, even the Leaf, have some dark secrets. We shinobi, clans and villages… we have all done some things that were far from being noble." Seeing their shell-shocked faces, he knew the point had been driven through. He locked eyes with Naruto again. "Naruto, I know you are eager to hear more about your clan. And I will tell you. You have a right to know. But right now, I think it is time to move on to a lighter subject." His tone instantly brightened. "Remus-san, it is time for your elemental training."

Remus nodded and pushed himself to his feet. "What will you have me do?"

Kakashi smirked as he stood as well, uncovering his Sharingan. "First, I want to spar. I need to see how recovered I'm. More importantly, I need to gauge how much you learned from Kisame. If you absolutely have to, you can use your wand. But I would prefer if you didn't."

Remus nodded and next moment, he blocked Kakashi's new sword with the Sword of Kusanagi. The younger man had apparently drawn it out of nowhere, but a swift glance to his left revealed a small scroll. If its size was anything to go by, it would probably fit into one of pockets of Kakashi's flak jacket. Pushing that thought aside, he jumped backwards when Kakashi made a sweep at him with the white blade. Excitement starting to flow through his veins, Remus skilfully parried the next attack and slashed upwards with his sword, causing the Copy-Ninja to flip backwards. A swipe at the legs had Kakashi jumping into the trees, Remus in hot pursuit. And soon, the clearing rang of the sound of metal against metal from somewhere high up in the trees. Then, everything went silent.

Naruto frowned. "Did they stop already? Why? You don't think anybody of them is hurt, do you?"

Three snorts followed that statement. "Naruto, you dolt. If any of them were hurt, we would have heard it by now."

Tenten nodded. "I agree with Sakura, Naruto-kun. And even if they had hurt each other, I don't think it is something serious."

Yamato didn't comment. He had sparred enough with Kakashi to know that the man would gradually increase the difficulty of the fighting till either he or his sparring partner was pressed. And he had seen Remus fight with sword before. There was no way they had already reached a level where the eldest of them couldn't keep up. Then there was a flare of charka and the air above them seemed to shimmer from heat. 'Here they come.'

"Fire Element: Great Fireball jutsu!"

The nearest treetop exploded in flames as a fiery wolf, bigger than the last time Yamato saw it, burst through, jaws snapping after his senpai who gracefully did a backward somersault and spun in mid-air, using his Sharingan to time his moves perfectly.

Kakashi smiled as he landed on the water with the grace of a cat. This time, he had seen what was invisible the first time Remus used that jutsu against him. Deep within the man a black chakra, the chakra of the wolf, had surged and mixed with the regular flow and followed it out when Remus exhaled, causing the fiery wolf to form.

'Interesting. His chakra control has increased. And so has the size. Well, it seems that I've gotten a new jutsu in my arsenal. Time to put this little flame doggy out before I'm barbecued.'

Making sure Lupin was in plain sight, Kakashi took it with ease as he weaved the seals. "Water Element: Water Wall!"

The fiery wolf thundered into a wall of water with a roar and steam rose to the sky from an area that was about ten square metres wide. When it lifted, Kakashi was looking up at Remus, right eye closed.

"Nice one, Remus-san. My turn. Fire Element: Phoenix Flower jutsu!"

A small barrage of fire was blown from Kakashi's masked mouth, and Remus had no time to dodge or take cover. He didn't need it though. He had seen Kisame make the seals one or twice during their training and now Kakashi had shown them again. Time he used the technique against them. "Water Element: Water Wall!"

A massive wall of water rose from the stream Kakashi stood on, and much to the Copy-Ninja astonishment, was the pull of the water so strong that it dragged him with it. 'Hmmm. Interesting. Such power behind his jutsu. And this time, his wolf didn't meddle with the jutsu.'

Suddenly the water wall collapsed, leaving Kakashi in mid-air. His Sharingan predicted Lupin's every move as the older man launched himself from the charred treetop, sword poised for strike. Kakashi smiled. It had been some time since he had had this much fun sparring. 'Time to increase the level a bit.'

Drawing his blade with practiced ease, as he was hanging upside down on daily basis, Kakashi turned in mid-air so he almost lay in the air, he easily parried the blow and then he spun again, his kick sending Remus flying backwards. Both men landed on the stream, who had just laid down to rest, and Lupin charged again. Kakashi smiled again as he formed seals, still in a relaxed pace.

"Water Element: Water Dragon jutsu!"

The water once again soared to life, this time as a dragon. Remus' lone eye widened. "Oh for the love of…"

He didn't say anything else as the mass of water attacked. He barely had time to sheathe his sword and brace himself before it hit, sweeping everything in its path away from Kakashi. However, when the water died down again, there was no trace of Remus Lupin. Kakashi frowned.

'Did I overdo it?'

However, just as he thought the thought, the water erupted in a small explosion five metres behind where Remus had been standing. Kakashi braced himself for Remus resurfacing and launching a counterattack, but it didn't happen.

'Remus-san, what is your game? Where are…'

Kakashi trailed off as the water below him started glowing with a reddish hue. "There you are."

The Copy-Ninja jumped backwards as a regular sized fireball shot out of the water. However, just as he landed again, he had to spin on his heels as Remus resurfaced with explosive force and aimed a kick right at his face. Kakashi deftly caught the older man's ankle and slammed him into the water surface. He smiled. "Nice trick, Remus-san. However, with my Sharingan, I can read your every move. Got anything else?"

Remus smiled as well as he turned around. "I figured as much. That's why I had such a tough time hitting you when attacking from the distance. That is always why I wanted to get close and have you at point-blank range. Like now." Kakashi's eyes widened when Remus brought his fingers together in the bird seal. "Water Element: Water Dragon jutsu."

Realizing that Remus had formed all of the other seal while submerged in water, Kakashi was caught off guard as a dragon made of water, though smaller than the one he conjured, rose right next to him and slammed him aside with tremendous force, washing him ashore. Noticing that the younger shinobi had taken cover behind one of Yamato's wood techniques, Kakashi took a moment to recover his breath as he scrutinized his older sparring partner.

Admittedly, he had slowed down his forming of seals so that Remus at least should have a fair warning and perhaps remember some of them. That he was able to use them directly like this was quite the testimony to his intelligence and observant eye. And as Kakashi looked at the other man, he realized that Remus wasn't even winded yet. The Copy-Ninja smiled.

'Just as I predicted. His affinity set and his stamina makes him a tough opponent. And the more jutsu he learns, and as his control over the elements, the tougher he will be. Let's see, what to do next.'

As Kakashi pushed himself to his feet, he drew his sword, a motion that Remus instantly mimicked. The younger of the two attacked first. The two exchanged blows, but suddenly, Kakashi's blade was coated in lightning. Remus barely evaded, however, the patch covering his left eye was ripped apart. Remus jumped backwards again and again, left eye closed tightly, as Kakashi's now enhanced sword cut through trees with ease. Then his back hit a tree, causing him to swear. As the Copy-Ninja came at him again, sword bearing down for the strike, Remus opened his eyes out of habit as he brought up his sword to at least the deflect the attack. Instead, metal coated with lightning hit down on metal coated with lightning. Time seemed to stop for a few seconds, Kakashi's eyes wide as he stared into the other man's orbs. Then, a kick sent Kakashi several feet backwards. That, however, didn't seem to bother Kakashi as he stared intently at Remus' face. The older man frowned.

"Kakashi, are you alright?"

The Copy-Ninja didn't respond at first, but he kept his tense stance. Then… "Remus-san…your left eye… how is that even possible?"

Confusion spread across Lupin's face. "What you are talking about? My left eye was ruined by Orochimaru that night."

Kakashi sheathed his sword. "Well, it isn't ruined now, I can tell you that much."

Before Remus could ask him what the hell was going on, he saw the other shinobi appearing, Naruto as pale as a ghost. And he could clearly hear the fear in the teen's voice. "That eye… I will never forget that eye, even if it is only one out of a pair."

"What…" Remus shook his head at his own stupidity. He was wizard for crying out loud. Flicking his right wrist, his wand appeared from the sleeve of his modified Akatsuki cloak. He picked up a rock and with a flick of his wand, he transfigured it into a mirror and looked into it. He gasped from pure shock and the mirror was crushed as he dropped it.

His face almost looked like when he first woke up in Konoha's Hospital the first time, except for two things: He looked like he did when he was in his late twenties, so his scars were now more pronounced and his hair had a few specks of grey in in it. However, the bid difference was his left eye. One of Moony's deep amber eyes had stared right back at him, filled with his untameable rage, though it also held quite a bit of smugness.

'_Hello Remus. Took you long enough to notice. How do you like having two eyes again?_'

Remus grasped his head. 'Moony. How… when…'

The wolf chuckled. '_Ever since that night you lost your own eye. I knew that you would not survive in this world with a blind spot like that. You still rely on your vision too much. Of course, that night the poison I had to fight to keep you standing hindered my work. However, then those pesky medics started healing you and extracted the jutsu, and I had much more time at my leisure; when I didn't have to drive out those annoying pests who were trying to get access to your memories, that is._'

Remus' mind reeled with this new information. Suddenly, it all clicked into place. The dull throbbing he had felt and Moony's silence. 'What are playing at, Moony? This isn't like you to give a gift like this, even if it is to improve your chance of survival by improving mine.'

Moony chuckled again, and Remus could easily picture the wolf's lips curling in smirk. '_Gift? Oh no, Remus, this is not a gift. I thought you knew me better than that. However, before we talk, allow me to show something. Close your right eye._'

Remus was a bit sceptical, but after a few seconds, he obliged. He had to suppress a gasp of surprise and concentrate on keeping his right eye shut. 'Moony… is this how you see things when…'

Moony smiled in his mind. '_When we transform? Yes, Remus, this is how I see things._'

Everything was in nuances of grey. Even Naruto's bright orange pants and jacket had turned into different shades of grey. He could, however, see everything. He could see every leaf and branch moving in breeze, and not a single twitch made by the shinobi, however small it was, went unnoticed. He tried opening his right eye slowly. Most colours got back in the picture, but the details seemed to dim. The moment he tried opening his right eye a bit more, a violent throb went through his left, and Moony's amused chuckle filled his mind.

'_Ah, ah, Remus. No can do. You can't get both. At least… not for free._'

Remus felt a knot forming in his stomach as he closed his right eye. If Moony wanted something for his left eye, it probably wasn't a small price. And if the price was too high for him to pay, Lupin wanted to savour this experience. 'What do you want, Moony?'

Almost all humour drained from Moony's voice. '_I want to propose a deal, Remus. One that would benefit us both. Are you interested?_'

Remus mentally swore, causing Moony to chuckle lightly. Damn the old wolf. He was drawing him in like a skilled fisher. And Moony knew just what buttons to push to prod Remus' curiosity and interest. '… I'm listening.'

What remained of humour left Moony's voice. _'I will give you access to my left eye and allow you to use it simultaneously with your own. Also, I will give you access to my power reserves, which will increase your speed, strength, stamina, and your healing rate and heighten your senses even more. Lastly, I will cease attempting killing Silvertooth's host and your friends while in human form. And I only want one thing in return._'

Remus frowned. Something told him the price was going to be high. 'And that would be?'

Moony's lips curled up in a snarl. '_I want your word that you will never again try to subdue me. No locking me away in a cage ever again; whether it is a mentally one or out there. No putting me into an enclosure. And should we somehow get back to your world, no Wolfsbane Potion. Do you understand what I want, Remus? I want my freedom._'

Remus' mind reeled back in shock. He couldn't say he wasn't tempted, but the implications of the offered deal was clear to him. Moony, running free on nights of the full moon? It would put countless people in jeopardy of getting bitten or killed. Also… 'How do I know you will keep your word, Moony? How can I be sure that you won't try killing Kakashi and the others?'

The answer came instantly. '_Because I want us to make an Unbreakable Vow. And unlike you petty wizards, we do not need a third part.' Moony chuckled. _'_And no, we both won't die if one of us breaks it. If you break it, I will get complete control and assume my true form, regardless of the moon. If I break it, I will cease to exist within your mind, allowing you to control my power as you please. You have three days to decide. Till then, Remus._'

Moony went silent after that and the throb behind his left eye disappeared

"Remus-san? Are you okay?"

Lupin focused on Kakashi as the man, still in nuances of grey, approached. By the way his mask wrinkled slightly, Remus guessed he was concerned. "I'm fine Kakashi. Just my wolf who decided to pay a little visit, letting me know that he is still there. Like I could ever forget." His voice was bitter at the end, but it served to hide his inner turmoil created by Moony's proposal. He knew that he would every edge he could get, but at what cost? One thing was for sure though: He was going to test Moony's eye in a fight. "Kakashi, attack me. And try speeding up your weaving of hand seals, if only slightly. I want to test something."

Kakashi gave the older man a doubtful look. Something told him that the Remus' inner wolf had visited for doing more than just saying hi. And something told him it had something to do with that eye. However, one look at Lupin told Kakashi that he wasn't about to talk about it now. But Kakashi was going to get some answers later. And one look at Remus was enough to convey that to older man.

"Alright, Remus-san. Are you ready?" Lupin nodded, his left eye narrowing. "Here goes then. Ox, Snake, Dragon, Bird, Horse, Tiger! Fire Element: Liquid Flame jutsu!"

The trademark jutsu of Devalan 'Fire Tongue' Uchiha. It was essentially just a normal torrent of intense flames, if not for one thing: By adding a tiny amount Water natured chakra to the mix, the fire got water like properties. Like coming in a wave-like fashion like any Water Element technique and the ability to bend around corners. In short, you couldn't simply just duck behind a rock, for the fire would bend around it and get you anyways.

Kakashi ha copied this technique and added it to his arsenal on Itachi's first mission as ANBU Captain roughly ten years ago. Or rather, Kakashi had tagged along as observer and eventual back-up should Itachi call decide to call for it as it was his final test. The mission description was simple enough: Track down and eliminate Devalan Uchiha. Easier said than done. Devalan was an A-rank, bordering on S-rank, Rogue-ninja and a genius. Kakashi would know… he and the creep was in the same class in the Academy, and they never liked each other. And Kakashi would never forget the look of loathing on Devalan's face when Kakashi copied his signature move right back at him. It hadn't been the finishing blow, Itachi had dealt that, but it had been close.

'Now, Remus-san… what will you do?'

11111

Remus looked as the flood of fire expelled from Kakashi's mouth thundered towards like another angry tidal wave. Kakashi had definitely picked up speed in forming his seals, yet, they all were clear to Remus', or rather, Moony's eye. Moreover, he could see the simmer in the air from heat seconds before Kakashi launched his attack.

Jumping backwards, Remus formed seals. "Water Element: Water Wall!"

This time around, the raging current of water was blown from his mouth and as the two violently raging masses collided, steam rose. However, due to Kakashi's better chakra control and power being pumped into fire jutsu, the fire pushed through the wall just as it got around it and above. In short, Remus was facing a wave of blazes. With the reflexes and agility he got from being a werewolf, he pumped chakra to his feet and jumped up with all his might, landing on branch high above the ground just as wave of fire rolled over where he had been standing only seconds before.

"Whew… that was a close one."

"You can't rest yet, Remus-san."

Remus' gaze snapped upwards as Kakashi descended, sword blazing with lightning natured chakra. 'Not again.'

Remus rolled on the tree branch, barely dodging the attack. Drawing the Sword of Kusanagi again, Remus spun on his heel, however, this time, he tried channelling his own chakra down his sword. The effect was instantaneous and gave Kakashi quite the surprise. The blade swung at him was coated with lightning and fire. While not to the same extent as his own sword, the little amount of chakra added to the Kusanagi made it a force to be reckoned with. The swords clashed in mid-air, causing flames and beams of electricity to fly in different directions. However, some of the swords' electrical surges shot down the arms of the men, causing them to drop their deadly weapons as they were flung backwards.

"Boar, Hare, Dragon, Dog, Hare. Lightning Element: Bolt Canon!"

The Copy-Ninja shot a concentrated ball of lightning right at Lupin who barely dodged it by jumping downwards. He fired three other rounds, all of them close hits as he pivoted away from one, ducked under another and sidestepped the last before continuing his descend. 'Impressive, Remus-san. But I think it is time you drew your wand now. What are you hoping to accomplish by diving towards the ashen ground below? Sorry, but whatever it is, I'm not going to let you.'

"Lightning Element: Bolt Canon!"

Another ball of lightning, this one larger than the others, sped after the descending Remus Lupin who was now in free fall. Suddenly, he reached out with one hand, and spun in mid-air, vanishing in mid-air with a loud crack, causing Kakashi's attack to miss by an inch. However, thanks to his Sharingan, Kakashi managed to glimpse the handle of the Sword of Kusanagi before Remus vanished.

"So that was why you dived. You hoped to get your sword back. The question is… where are you now?"

He couldn't smell or feel the other man anywhere nearby. Nor had he felt the usual tell-tale burst of chakra of a jutsu. He had felt Remus' chakra surge tremendously and then simply just vanish. Then he remembered Orochimaru's words.

'…_their chakra and their mastery over it are, at least in some aspects and for those who have passed the age of 15-17, much stronger and better than ours. Imagine teenagers travelling over great distances in the blink of an eye several times a day like it was a little harder than scratching your neck, and yet they can't do a simple transformation._'

"A Time/Space ninjutsu… I see. Remus Lupin, we are definitely going to have a little chat tonight."

As summoned by his thoughts, a loud crack sounded behind Kakashi and Remus' voice cut through the air. "Kakashi, catch!"

Grinning, Kakashi spun on his heel, moving his head slightly as something small and orange sailed by his head. 'What the…'

His eyes followed the object and then widened. It was one of his Icha-Icha books. Remus had teleported back to the Hatake Mansion, picked up one of the books and hurled it at him. 'But why would Remus-san…' His eyes widened even more as he realized why. 'A decoy. Not just once, but twice have someone used my books in a fight.' He locked his gaze on Remus who was closing in, blade ablaze with fire. 'But I won't fall for the same trick twice.'

Kakashi leapt a few steps backwards, quickly forming seals. "Monkey, Bird, Snake. Water Element: Water Shield jutsu!"

He brought up his left hand like he would if parrying a punch. Instead, a current of water seemed to appear from his left wrist, forming a heavy shield very much like ones the Roman legionnaires used. The fire extinguished, the Sword of Kusanagi stopped in roughly halfway in. Twisting his arm, Kakashi forced the legendary blade away from the older man while with his right hand, he drew a kunai and made a slice for Remus' face. Not enough to cause any serious damage, but enough to draw blood. Or at least, that was the plan.

Remus parried the kunai with his left arm, the knife harmlessly bouncing off the cloak's sleeve. 'What? Why didn't…'

Kakashi didn't have time to question the cloak withstanding his attack when he saw the other man drawing back his fist and aiming a punch for his face. The Copy-Ninja ducked under, and decided this had gone long enough. "Chidori Nagashi!"

Sasuke's technique that Kakashi had copied by simply hearing a description flared to life, sending Remus Lupin through the air and slamming him into the tree trunk. In the blink of an eye, Kakashi was in front the older male, holding a kunai to his throat. Remus groaned before smiling weakly up at his opponent, closing his left eye and opening his right. "I surrender."

The two men looked at each other for a moment before Kakashi nodded, withdrew his kunai and extended a hand for Remus. "That was very impressive, Remus-san. You were able to match me step by step."

Remus laughed as he took Kakashi's hand, allowing the younger man to pull him to his feet. "Only because you were holding back. Am I right to assume that you slowed down your forming of seals considerably, allowing me to follow them? If you hadn't, you most likely would have forced me to use my wand far sooner"

Kakashi nodded, pushing his headband down. "Hmm. Perhaps. Still, it was pretty impressive that you were able to keep up as well as you and use a B-rank technique at your first try. I trust you noticed something else during this little exercise, right?"

Remus nodded once as they both took to the ground and stared walking back to the others. "Yes. You only used jutsu of the elements I possess."

Kakashi nodded. "Yes. With your Element chakra combination, you will become a pretty tough opponent as your arsenal grows. You have Lightning to counter Lightning and Earth, Fire to counter Wind, and Water to counter Fire and Water." Kakashi plucked six leaves from a tree. "And now… your Element Nature training starts." They joined up with the others, having collected both swords and Kakashi's book on the way. He handed three leaves to Remus and held one leaf in his palm. "I want you to curl one leaf into a ball by using your Lightning Nature." He did just that and placed another leaf in his open palm. "For the next leaf, you have to use your Fire Nature to singe the Konoha insignia into the leaf and keep it smoking without the rest of the leaf catching fire." The Copy-Ninja showed what he meant. He took the final leaf and placed it in his palm. "Finally, I want you to disintegrate this leaf into sixteen symmetric pieces and have them form the Konoha insignia in a pool of water in your hand, using only your Water Nature. And don't worry about not getting it right on the first try. We have more than enough leaves for you to practise."

Remus looked at the three leaves in his hand. "Hmmm. It sounds simple, but I've feeling it is going to be a lot more difficult than it sounds."

With that, he set to work as they walked back to the Hatake Mansion, burning, soaking and crinkling several leaves. Kakashi chuckled to himself.

'You have no idea. You are pretty much undergoing the same training I did when I was out of the Academy and started developing Chidori. Taking on Chakra Shape Transformation and Chakra Nature Transformation is far from easy.'

00000

Kakashi sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. It was one in morning and he was sitting in his study, books and scroll scattered across his desk. Naruto and Tenten were sound asleep on the couch in the living room, having passed out while watching a movie on the newly bought television; Naruto had worked hard doing D-rank mission, so Kakashi had allowed him to have Tenten visiting. Kakashi himself was tired. Both from working on this project, but also from the spar earlier. It seemed he hadn't recovered quite as much as he had hoped.

"Minato-sensei… you haven't exactly made this easy for me you know. Without your notes, you have left me starting pretty much from scratch."

"Seems like you are working on many projects aside from teaching me ninjutsu." Remus stood in the doorway, looking at the younger man with curiosity, steam rising from two mugs. "Coffee? You seem like one who could use it." Kakashi accepted one of the mugs gratefully. "So, what are you working on?"

Kakashi took a sip of the offered coffee, regarding the older man as he considered how much he could tell. Remus was an outside after all, but he hadn't betrayed his trust so far. Besides, with his mastery over Time/Space-ninjutsu, he might be able to help. Decision made, Kakashi took out a special kunai with two prongs on it.

"I've had this kunai for seventeen years. It carries a formula that is crucial for my sensei's technique to work. It's a Time/Space-jutsu that allowed him to travel from one spot to another in the blink of an eye. Before he died, he told me that should he die, he told me to take this technique to the next level. I've been working on it for sixteen years, and I've haven't even managed to get to his level." He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "That formula acts as a beacon or anchor if you will. I figured out how to travel into the void, allowing people to travel through space and time. Unfortunately, without the beacon or anchor to pull in the right destination, you will travel too fast, ripping you to pieces. I've tried it several times with Shadow Clones."

Kakashi sighed again. "You somehow need to link yourself with to the anchor, but no matter how I've tried forming that link, the result have been same. My Shadow Clones were destroyed the moment they attempted travelling, even if it was just one metre." He turned his head. "I saw you use some advanced Time/Space-ninjutsu earlier. It might even exceed my teacher's. So how do you do it?"

Remus frowned deeply. "It is called Apparition, or when seen from view of one being left, Disapparation. But it has its limitations. One can't simply travel wherever you want. I can't Disapparate to any location I want. I need to know where I want to travel, like coordinates, and where it lies in relation to my starting point. Moreover, one has to be determined to reach one's destination and move without haste but deliberation. Or at least, that is what the instructor at Apparition, Wilkie Twycross, told us twenty years ago. Don't know if he is still instructor or not." The older werewolf shook his head. "Also, there are wards one can put up to prevent Apparating and it has distance limitations as well."

Kakashi frowned. "So all you have to is being determined, focus on your destination and move with deliberation and turn on the spot like you did? Sounds easy enough."

Remus chuckled. "If it were, Splinching wouldn't occur." Kakashi gave him questioning look. "Splinching is when a part, like an arm, leg or even as small as your eye-brow, gets separated from your body. However, when people Splinch something larger than a foot, they find themselves stuck as they can't move either way. And being determined and focusing on moving with deliberation to your destination gets harder doing Short-range or Duel-range Apparition where you move like a plume of smoke. While in Duel-Range Apparition, one is halfway moving through time and space and halfway staying in the same place. It enables us to fly through the air and up vertical surfaces and give us speed, but it gets harder to hit your opponent and you can still get hit. If I had used Duel-range Apparition in our spar, you would have gotten me with that last Lightning Technique of yours. But I'm not sure you would be able to Apparate. And I'm not an expert on undoing Splinching, so I must admit I'm not keen on trying to teach you." He gave the younger man an apologetic look. "Sorry Kakashi, but I'm afraid I can't help you."

Kakashi sighed, hiding his disappointment, though his shoulders slumped slightly. "Don't worry about it, Remus-san. I guess it was too much too hope for. All of this…" he gestured to all of the books and scrolls. "Are what I figured out about ten years ago. But the link to the beacon have me stomped. It doesn't look like I will live up to my destiny after all."

The last bit was said with a slight humour, but Remus heard the ounce of dejection and bitterness in it Kakashi's voice. "Destiny?"

Kakashi just chuckled and waved his hand. "It is just superstition. But over time, it came somewhat of a belief that whenever a Kakashi was born in the Hatake Clan, the child was destined to do great things." He chuckled darkly before sighing. "Some may call my feats for great. Kakashi of the Sharingan, the Copy-Ninja, the man who has copied over a thousand jutsu. But compared to my ancestors, my exploits and so-called power are not worth mentioning." Kakashi closed his eye for a moment before looking to upwards as if he could see his ancestors in the sky through the ceiling.

"Kakashi Hatake the Sixth: Lord of Air. His mastery of the Wind Element has yet to rivalled. It is said that of the age of twenty winters, he could create a hurricane and tornado with a single hand seal; even become one. He ended the war against the Uzumaki and was the one who passed on his war hating philosophy to the next generations of Hatake." He took a sip of coffee. "Kakashi Hatake the Fifth, also known as Kakashi the Vampire. Started and led the war against the Uzumaki for thirty years, ultimate master of Blood-Ninjutsu. According to rumours, the moment he tasted your blood, he could use all of your jutsu once, know all of the secrets of your life. It is also said that one touch from him could turn your blood to ice or fire."

Kakashi shook his head. "I doubt those rumours concerning the Fifth are completely true. It is however known that his mastery of Blood-Ninjutsu made him a terrifying adversary. As for the Fourth: Well, people call me a ninjutsu genius. But compared to him, my knowledge of the Elements are like a genin's. He combined Lightning, Fire, Water and Wind into one known as the Chaos Element." He took another sip of coffee. "The Third Kakashi Hatake was known as the Emperor or the Titan. He build the first and only Shinobi Empire and it is said you can find his crest, the Hatake crest with the addition of a circle of swords, in most ancient ruins scattered around the world. According to legend, once he gained momentum, no weapon or jutsu could harm him, and no defence could stop, giving rise to the rumour that the Third Raikage was a distant relative."

Kakashi looked at his right hand as he made small sparks of electricity dance between his fingers. "The Second was called Kakashi the Lightning God. He could create and control thunderstorms, directing lightning bolts on a whim." He sighed. "And finally, the most powerful of all Kakashi Hatake, and first to bear the name Hatake: Kakashi Hatake the First. It is said he lived during the founding of the shinobi world, but we don't have an exact date. Anyhow, the First had a unique sword and body. With his sword, he could cut fissures in the time and space continuum, or in other words: He could create passages to other places or eras in this world and, if the legend is true, to other worlds. And his unique ability was to bend time and space around him." Kakashi emptied his cup. "According to legend, the First fought a gigantic wolf. It was not as strong as powerful and huge as the Bijuu, but it was far smarter. It left village after village destroyed, eating every livestock it came across. It would come during the night and disappear shortly after. One day, however, the humongous wolf set foot on my ancestor's threshold."

Remus felt his eye widen and it only grew in size as Kakashi continued. "It was long a horrendous battle. My ancestor met the wolf on his own had fought it. After hours of battle, the First cut a huge hole in the dimensional veil and, with great effort and cunning, got the wolf, now less than half of its original size, through the fissure before sealing it up. That is how legend is, anyway."

Remus felt like someone had just emptied a large bucket of cold water on him. All coherent thoughts seemed to have left him. He was in stupor for what seemed like forever, but a sharp image of a man who looked a lot like Kakashi, except that this guy's silver hair was tied back in a ponytail wielding a four and a half feet long sword blade that was glowing blinding white and Moony's snarling cut through the haze like a dagger.

'_To think that he is a descendant of that human. But I guess it makes sense. Lord Fenrir bit that human during their fight, but the human didn't die. Instead his speed and strength increased. It would also explain why he seems to be able to battle Silvertooth for control on the full moon. As a descendant, he is bound to have inherited some of that man's resilience against Fenrir thirst for blood and our primal power. I knew there was something different about this guy, but this is a surprise even for me._'

Remus felt like the ground might disappear beneath him any movement. Suddenly Moony's initial distrust, hatred and unease of Kakashi made sense. Moony had felt the power of the one who defeated his ancestor within Kakashi, even if none of them had been aware of it at that point. It would be interesting from now to say the least.

"Remus-san, are you okay?"

Lupin shook his head a few times, trying his best to clear his thoughts from the fog that seemed to clog his mind. "Yeah, I'm fine."

The Copy-Ninja gave him a doubtful look. Something was clearly on the older man's mind, something important, but it was getting late, so he didn't push. Instead, he changed the topic. "By the way: During our little spar, one of my attacks should have cut your cloak. Instead it bounced off. I guess there is some sort of jutsu behind it?"

Remus, relieved at the change, gave a weak smile. "Yes. I've made some modifications to this cloak, aside from changing its motives. I've made it harder than steel and added a few spells that makes it fire- and waterproof. More waterproof than it was to start with anyway. And…" Remus trailed off as his sensitive nose caught something in the wind through the open window. His eye narrowed. "We got company."

Kakashi's lone eye narrowed as well. It was 1:30, a little late to be visiting. Furthermore, taking a sniff as well, and feeling out for the chakra signature, Kakashi realized it was a scent and chakra signature he wasn't familiar with. Getting to his feet, he slowly rolled all of his notes together and grabbed his sword. "It's a little late to paying anyone a visit, don't you think? How about we go and greet our guest?"

The two men moved silently towards the main door. The other person was just on the other side. They gave each other a nod with a small flick of Remus' wrist, the door burst open, and Kakashi moved with deadly intent. The Copy-Ninja pinned the intruder to the ground with a kunai to his throat, without making a sight. Remus stood behind him, sword pointed over Kakashi's shoulder, tip inches from the intruder's masked face. They were levelling their weapons at an ANBU agent. Kakashi frowned. He didn't know this guy, meaning the guy had entered the ANBU after Kakashi retired. His mask however was that of a mouse.

"Agent Mouse."

Letting the ANBU operative stand up, both men took pocketed their weapons. Letting out a relieved chuckle, Mouse regarded the two men. "I see your welcome is as warm as rumours say. You gave me no time to knock."

Kakashi could hear the awe in the young man's voice, telling him that the kid hadn't been in the corps for long. Giving Lupin an amused glance, who looked halfway embarrassed that they had attacked like that and halfway amused at the ANBU's reaction, Kakashi addressed the operative. "Agent Mouse, I trust you didn't come by at this late hour just to chitchat."

Mouse nodded before kneeling. When he spoke, his voice was solemn and respectful. "Lord Hatake, Remus-san: The Hokage requests your attendance. She has a mission for you."

Kakashi frowned. "Did Lady Tsunade say anything about what it is?"

"No Lord Hatake. She just said that she was in need of Remus-san's expertise and that this mission cannot wait. She definitely told me to tell you this, Lord Hatake: Don't be late."

With that Mouse left in a flurry of leaves. Remus was the first to speak. "What do you think, Kakashi? What could be so important that the Hokage would assign us both a mission this late at night?"

Kakashi shook his head. "I don't know. However, it has to be important and urgent for Lady Tsunade to send an ANBU and not the first and best chuunin she spots."

With that Kakashi locked the door to his mansion and both men sped into night, making haste for the Hokage Tower. Unsaid between the two men was that both of them had a bad feeling about this mission.

End chapter 24.

AN: Sorry for the long wait. I've been busy for quite some time now. And it seems some of the things I wanted to happen and be explained in this chapter will have to wait to next chapter.

And thank you to all of you who have read this story and put it and me on alerts and favourites. And also a great thanks to all of you who have left a review behind.

Anyways, hoped you enjoyed the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Preparations.

The rain came down hard on their cloaks as they hurried through the treetops, and Remus briefly wondered if it was safe to travel with their current speed. Then again, if Remus was right, though he prayed to Merlin that he wasn't, time was of the essence.

-Flashback start.-

"You wanted to see us, Lady Tsunade?"

The Hokage's office was, to put it bluntly, overcrowded. Aside from the two werewolves and the Hokage, three ANBU squadrons lined the walls, Jiraiya stood beside Tsunade with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Then there was a ninja who looked like he had just been roused from his sleep. Remus recognized him from his trial as the one telling the kids about the clans. If memory served him right, his name was Iruka or something like that.

Tsunade lowered her hands. "Yes, Kakashi. Ten minutes ago, a man was brought to me at the Hospital. He was soaked from rain and blood and he died before we could begin procedure. He was from Nakatomi village, a village near our borders with the Country of Rivers in the west. However, before he died told me this: On the first night of the full moon, they were attacked by what appeared to be a mix of men and wolves. At first he believed it to be their armour, but it soon became clear it wasn't the case as the enemy tore into the citizens with their teeth and claws. He barely escaped, but as he left the village, he saw strange image in the sky. It was a glowing green skull with a serpent coming out of its mouth." She noticed Remus' eye widen. "You know of this image, Remus-san?"

Remus nodded. "It's the Dark Mark; the mark of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. They are the only ones who know how to conjure it. When my country was at war with them, the Death Eaters would set up the Dark Mark in the sky at every site where they killed someone."

Kakashi glanced at the older werewolf. "So, in other words, we are dealing with Bellatrix?"

Remus nodded tightly. "I feared she survived that night, but this proves my suspicion. And from the sounds of it, she is backed up by what remains of the pseudo-werewolves." The wizard-turned- shinobi looked at Tsunade. "Lady Tsunade, I take it that the mission Agent Mouse spoke of has to do with this?"

Tsunade nodded grimly as she beckoned all of the shinobi closer. Looking down, they saw a world map. "Yes. The survivor was not the only one who has spoken of these kinds of attacks. The Medical-ninja on the Hospital is currently treating five more cases of badly wounded civilians and one shinobi. All of them reports of similar attacks, but four of them are of more recent dates while one is older than the one we got tonight. These are the villages that were attacked."

Kakashi looked over the map then frowned. All of them were on villages near their borders, but with so much distance between them that it should be impossible to strike with the frequency Bellatrix had. Then again, Bellatrix was the same sort of shinobi like Remus, and was thus, most likely, a Time-Space-ninjutsu user. He looked closer at the map. It should be impossible for the victims to arrive at the same time. Unless…

"Lady Hokage, how did the victims arrive?"

The blonde Hokage focused her gaze on the Copy-Ninja. "So you noticed as well. We don't know how they came so close to us, but all of them appeared from the woods near the Main Gates. This being said…"

Kakashi nodded his agreement. "They were allowed to escape. Their purpose probably was to confuse us and make us waste time and tell us that Bellatrix and the pseudo-werewolves are still out there." He looked at the map. "From every attacked village you have written down here… and their dates… they get roughly two kilometres closer to Konoha, even if it is from different directions. And if that theory is correct, then her next target is probably this city here, Okawa, fifty kilometres south of here. It is known for its grand markets and worldwide trade. It greatly attributes to the Land of Fire's economy and is well guarded by both shinobi and normal military."

Tsunade nodded. "Yes. Your mission is to get there as fast as possible, and warn them and help them escape." She leaned forward. "Also, Kakashi: We must know their strength. So this mission is also a reconnaissance mission. You mission is to make a rough estimate on the enemy numbers, strengths and weaknesses that we don't know of yet, and how the hell they can travel across our country without us noticing!"

She was shouting at the last part, but after nodding to show he understood Kakashi looked at the map again. "Lady Tsunade… why has you set two question marks in the Land of Lightning, one in the Land of Earth, three in the Frost Country and one in the Land of Wind?"

Tsunade sat back and glanced at her old teammate. Jiraiya spoke up. "My spies in Lightning, Earth and Frost wrote to me about some villages being attacked. They too spoke of a glistening green skull in the air, but the Raikage and the Tsuchikage, and the leader of the Hidden Frost is being tight-lipped and has yet to request for help, respectively."

Tsunade sighed. "Indeed. And reports came from the Kazekage, stating that a small village in Wind Country was attacked. However, the enemy was beaten back as they appeared to be no more than small scouting parties. And although we can't confirm anything, the report from the Sand Village claim that the enemy vanished abruptly, leaving no trace for them to follow." Her gaze moved to Lupin. "Remus-san, do you have any idea how Bellatrix moves those pseudo-werewolves around?"

Remus frowned. "Apparition, our fastest way of travel, is out. Portkeys, objects imbued with a teleportation spell or jutsu is possible, but it would take too many Portkeys to move an entire army. Not to mention that creating a Portkey is no easy task to begin with."

Kakashi's brow furrowed for a moment before his eye went wide. "Summoning Jutsu. That is how they do it. Orochimaru mentioned how the original pseudo-werewolves were branded with a seal that enabled him to summon them like his snakes. And according to Orochimaru, should he die, the control of the pseudo-werewolves would be passed on to Bellatrix. However, if she indeed is moving the pseudo-werewolves with Summoning Jutsu, she, from what we know, would have to brand every single one of them that is newly turned. Not to mentioning, summoning an entire army will require a large amount of chakra."

Tsunade nodded. "That is why we need to find out how they do it. Jiraiya has volunteered to go with you as extra back-up, but the leader of this mission is Kakashi Hatake. Owl's squad will be joining you for battle support. Iruka Umino is coming with you as an observer and recorder as he needs the experience should he ever wish to apply for Special-Jounin. Dragon's squad will be acting as Iruka's guards, but can be called for should need be. Stag's squad is composed of Medical-Ninjas."

An agent spoke up from Stag's squad. "Milady, you haven't mentioned the reason for Lupin-san to be here. He provided some information for the mission, but is he coming with us?"

Tsunade frowned slightly, but she had taken notice of the slight narrowing of Lupin's eye. "Remus-san is our primary specialist on the subject of werewolves. He knows them way better than we do and his knowledge on the field could prove vital for the survival rate of on all on this mission and the civilians. Which is why my order to all of you is: Should you encounter pseudo-werewolves, Remus-san has top priority and has the final call on course of action if he deems it better than your own. This mission is an S-rank. Now, go!"

With that they all left, but Kakashi and Remus heard the Hokage whisper. "Good luck. Please come back alive."

-End flashback.-

It was nearing four in the morning, and the shinobi and Remus had travelled as fast as they could while still conserving energy. Kakashi was in front, followed by Jiraiya and Remus, then Stag and his squad, then Owl's squad and lastly Dragon's squad surrounding Iruka.

Kakashi called out, thankful for the cloak shielding him from the rain. "We will arrive there in a few minutes. Be on guard."

They all gave the affirmative, but the rain was making it hard to smell anything. And to make matters worse, thunder started rumbling overhead. Remus heard Iruka grumble in the back. "Great. Just what we needed: Thunder."

Remus bit back a chuckle and an amused response. He had made the cloaks as waterproof as he could in the short amount of time before setting off and cast light heating charms on them as well. Two minutes later they burst through the treeline and all sixteen stopped dead in their tracks. The grand city of Okawa was spread out in the valley below them. And it was burning.

"We are too late."

Kakashi narrowed his eye, ignoring Jiraiya. "Perhaps not. The Dark Mark doesn't illuminate the sky. Fan out. Look for survivors. Dragon's squad: Stay close to Iruka at all times, understand?"

"Yes sir!"

With that they took off into the city. Owl and Stag combined their men in two-man cells and went to the south. Jiraiya, Kakashi and Remus went solo, Jiraiya going west, Kakashi east and Remus north. And even the battle-hardened shinobi had to fight down their building anger and nausea. Mutilated corpses was strewn everywhere. On the streets, in the smouldering ruins, on the roofs of the houses still standing; men, women and children alike. And the bodies of the pseudo-werewolves. Remus pushed down his hood, allowing the rain to hit him fully as he knelt down to pick up some poor girl's pearl necklace.

"So much death… Bellatrix… I will make you pay for this." A tear made its way down his right cheek. "All of this… it's my fault. Had I just come clear with my little secret, none of this would have happened."

'_Do you really believe that to be true, Remus? Even after all this time, are you still that naïve?_' Moony's harsh voice made him snap up. '_I will admit that it maybe, just maybe, would have been best to tell your new friend, but if you had told them, they might have killed you on the spot. But even so, who could have predicted this would be the result of taking a werewolf's blood? Even I would never have imagined this to be possible._' Moony fell silent for almost a minute before speaking again. '_Remus, you cannot beat her and this army of hers without me. I will need an answer in two hours, not in two days._'

With that Moony retreated back to the recesses of Remus' mind. He stood up and wiped the tear away. 'Pull yourself together, Lupin. You are of no use to the others like this.' He had to admonish himself like that a few times before walking on, his soaked hair sticking to his head and face, glancing at the sky every so often, wondering why the Dark Mark wasn't in the air. He knew that the Dark Mark would, unless removed by magic, burn brightly for at least three days. Was it possible they were that late? Could it be the fire had been that big? He looked around. Burn-out building surrounded him on both streets, so did the bodies of Okawa's citizens. Lightning flashed overhead, illuminating the sky and the streets for the briefest of seconds. And there, on the middle of the street, was the corpse of a pseudo-werewolf, surrounded by five bodies of men wearing the Leaf's uniform and a woman standing over them, staring right at him.

He couldn't believe his eyes. A survivor in the middle of this carnage? Pushing himself to his feet, he walked towards her. "Miss? Are you hurt?" She didn't respond. He walked closer. "Miss? Are there any other survivors?" Still no response. He came closer yet. "Miss? Are you…"

Remus trailed off as another bout of lightning lit up the sky. The woman's eyes were blank and a little trail of blood leaked from her mouth. Sighing, he stepped closer to the woman. She was barely twenty with red hair. With a great heave, he closed the woman's eyes and lifted her gently from the stake she had been hammered on. The stake fell into the mud with a dull thud, and from the looks of it, it had been torn from a building. Closing his eye, Lupin lowered the girl to the side of the street. Then he froze and his eye snapped wide open. Something was wrong. The woman was dead alright, but she was way too mobile. The rigor mortis had yet to set in, meaning that this woman had been dead for less than three to four hours. Remus would know after fighting in two wars. He rushed to the four shinobi and pseudo-werewolf. No pulse either and they were cold, but they weren't stiff either. He stood up, his brow furrowed.

'What is going on here? They are dead, but the rigor mortis hasn't set in. The city is still burning, even in this rain. And the Dark Mark isn't in the air.' He looked around and spotted a pseudo-werewolf's claws marks on a veranda. He walked over and inspected it. 'These marks… they are still fresh. The rain hasn't made them wet yet.' He looked up into the sky. Something was definitely wrong here. When he realized why, his eye widened in horror. 'Oh no.'

With that he took off in a sprint, heading east, praying to Merlin he would make it in time.

11111

Kakashi walked down the streets, stopping every once in a while to check on a corpse. He had taken notice of the mobility of the bodies and with his knowledge about rigor mortis and corpses from his time in the ANBU, it soon became clear to him that they died roughly two hours ago. So far he had seen no signs of life, not even with his Sharingan. He had, however, seen plenty of bodies and limbs, and he found himself having to supress the memories of the Third Ninja World War. He had considered summoning his hounds to aid him in the search, but with the heavy rain, all scents were long gone. Besides, he had a feeling that the only thing they would be able to smell was the dead and smoke. He reached the city wall and jumped up it.

The scorpion ballista next to him had been fired several times with flaming bolts and explosive tags as the bucket with petroleum had been knocked over gave witness to. And from the hole in the wall to his left, the explosive tags had been set on fire, but by the city's guards or by an enemy, Kakashi had no idea. Looking up the hills, he saw several pseudo-werewolves pinned to the ground by bolts or shot down by lots and lots of arrows. He looked down and inspected the bodies lying against the walls. There were a few pseudo-werewolves with swords, spears, kunais and shuriken protruding from their bodies. But most of them were city guards, their uniforms and armour shredded to pieces. With a great sigh, Kakashi jumped from the wall and landed softly on what appeared to be the roof of a blacksmith before jumping down on the street.

'The city was prepared for the onslaught, but their distress call never made it to Konoha. They fought back valiantly, but they were overrun.' He frowned at the sky. 'According to Remus, the Death Eaters set the Dark Mark in the sky whenever they killed someone. So why is the Dark Mark absent? This is starting to smell a whole lot like a…' At that moment a dark figure leapt at him, blade drawn. 'An ambush.'

Drawing a kunai, Kakashi blocked the incoming attack and with a swift kick send his assailant sailing into the blacksmith behind. "Fire Element: Great Fireball jutsu!"

Kakashi felt a chakra flare within him and he watched in fascination as a blazing wolf formed before blowing up the blacksmith. His hair matted by the rain, Kakashi looked to the rooftop of the house next to now ruined forge. The attacker was wearing a dark black cloak with his hood drawn and a katana. It wasn't Bellatrix, of that Kakashi was sure. His attacker was taller and, albeit hard to see because of the cloak, broader over the shoulders. The Hatake narrowed his gaze, then both of his eyes widened.

'That cloak… I can't see the chakra of this guy… because of that cloak. It must be one of those Ghost Cloaks Remus-san told us about. Cloaks that mask one's scent and sound… even chakra. No wonder we didn't detect these guys.' Then he heard growling and five pseudo-werewolves scaled the wall. 'Oh boy. Here we go.'

As the bangs of explosions and fresh flashes of fire broke the semi-darkness of Okawa, the Copy-Ninja launched himself to the rooftops, cursing himself for not ordering wireless radios.

11111

Jiraiya had been a shinobi for roughly five decades. He had fought in two world wars and many smaller wars and skirmishes. He had buried family, friends, teachers and students. He had met children orphaned by war and seen the misery war brought. And from the reports he had gotten lately and from what he had seen, another war was brewing. And this was definitely a clear sign. He thought he had seen brutality at its highest. He was wrong. As he was walking down the street of Okawa, he fought back the memories.

He had often visited Okawa for his researches as there were many hiding spots near the baths and the female inhabitants were exquisite. He had also often visited the markets and the bars of the city during festivals. Summer solstice, winter solstice, and midsummer… at those times, the streets would be bustling with activity and the city could barely host all of the people visiting. But the once lively city was no more. Instead of life, the streets were full of death. Instead of laughter and complains about the weather, there was eerie silence except the thunder and heavy rain. Instead of the delicious smell of baked bread and other sort of food, only the smell of blood and smoke hit the Sannin's nose.

Jiraiya had tried finding survivors with Sage Mode, but the massacre around him made it hard to focus. Jiraiya had seen the bloodbath when Itachi wiped out his own clan. But compared to this, Itachi's misdeed was a story one would tell the youngest. The carnage of mutilated bodies lying in the streets was on par with, if not worse, than any battlefield Jiraiya had ever set foot on. And none had been spared.

With a depressed sigh, Jiraiya let go of his Sage Mode. It was no use. There were no survivors within or outside the city walls. All of Okawa's citizens had been killed in matters of hours.

Jiraiya tensed when he felt Kakashi's charka flare in a pattern that could only be him unleashing a jutsu. 'Kakashi, why…' Then it clicked and he remembered what Remus had said about those Death Eaters putting that creepy image in the sky. Its absence had nagged him since he started searching, and now he knew why. 'Damn it all! We have walked into an ambush!'

He had barely finished the thought before the sounds of explosion rocked through the city. 'And from the sounds of it, the others have found out as well. I guess I better-'

Jiraiya's head snapped to his right and he saw several wolf-like creatures bearing down at him and he felt a large amount of creatures approaching the walls from the outside. However, that distraction proved unwise the Toad Sannin felt teeth pierce his cloak. 'Damn it.'

11111

Iruka was feeling sick. Very sick. He imagined that this bloodbath was only second to when the Kyuubi attacked the Hidden Leaf. And despite not having seen the worst parts of that battle, Iruka still woke in cold sweat from his nightmares about that night. But this… it was beyond anything he had ever witnessed in his shinobi career. He had wanted to get some experience as observer and recorder should he ever wish to apply for Special-Jounin with speciality in instructing. Admittedly there was a way to go skill wise, but he had considered it. One thing was for sure though: He would never, not even if he was put under torture, tell his Academy students what he had seen here. Every time he passed a child or teenager, he kept seeing the faces of the young people he knew back in Konoha, whether they were dead or still alive.

What also unnerved him was how calm the ANBU surrounding him seemed to be in this scene from hell. He was constantly fighting down the nausea and urges to vomit. He did, however, make no attempt to stop the tears from mixing with the rain as he scribbled down his findings, which was body count for both sides. So far it was 50 hostiles and 300 friendlies.

Tucking his notepad back in the cloak, Iruka fought down yet again the shiver running down his spine. Ever since entering the town, he had felt that he was being watched from the shadows. Perhaps it was from years of having to be on guard for paper balls fired by students, but Iruka had developed a sixth sense that told him when someone had set a trap.

"Dragon…"

The ANBU captain nodded. "I know, Iruka-sensei. We are not alone. That is why we are walking towards south, the area Owl was designated. With him by our side, we can easily find the others."

Iruka frowned. "But shouldn't we seek out Jiraiya-sama, Kakashi and Remus-san? I mean, they are on their own after all."

Dragon chuckled. "Be that as it may, Iruka-sensei, but if I know Lord Jiraiya and Lord Hatake about half as well as I hope I do, going solo was their wish because they know the town. The parts of the city they wanted to search are, or rather were the parts that are easier to search… and fight off an ambush if you are on your own. And Remus-san was designated the area where an ambush is least likely. Believe me when I say that Lord Hatake and Lord Jiraiya know what they are doing."

Iruka flushed slightly at the rebuke. "I was not-'

However, whatever he was about to say was cut short when the ANBU behind him let out a shout. "Here they come!"

Iruka spun around and saw what could only be pseudo-werewolves storming towards them. Dragon and his men instantly went into action and took up their positions facing north, east, south and west, five feet between them. "Barrier Jutsu: Four Corner Multi Element Barrier!"

All four members of the ANBU slammed palms into the mud and Iruka watched in wonder as blazing white hot fire travelled from Dragon and clockwise round, while the ANBU in the eastern corner let out violent torrent of water that went with the fire. The ANBU in the southern corner unleashed a powerful gust of wind while one covering the western front let loose a powerful surge of electricity. The four elements mixed together in a twenty feet tall dome of colour that illuminated the city and surrounding hills.

Iruka's heart skipped a beat as he looked at the hills. Pseudo-werewolves were swarming the hills, and more kept coming from the woods. He looked at the pseudo-werewolves outside the barrier, marvelling at its power.

'Amazing… combining four Elements into a barrier.' He looked as three pseudo-werewolves were instantly killed when they tried penetrating the barrier, the different elements working together to destroy the enemy. 'However… maintaining that sort of barrier… it must take up a considerable amount of chakra.'

Iruka was right, for Dragon spoke up. "Iruka-sensei, we can't hold this barrier forever. Combining the four elements and getting them to work together take up a lot of chakra. And without our fifth member to form use Earth, the barrier gets weaker the farther away from the sources. In short, the top of the barrier. It is only a matter of time before they break through. We can hold it for another two minutes, but that is it. And once that happens, we will be overrun."

Iruka frowned as he looked at the top of the barrier. Dragon was right. And from the looks on the pseudo-werewolves, they had realized they were not getting through at the base. So it was just a matter of time before they tried the top or decided to wait and just starve them out. "I see. So we are going to die here?"

Dragon shook his head. "No sensei. You are not going to die. See those rapid flashes of fire south of here? That is one of Owl's signature jutsu. In ten seconds, we are going to make a hole in the barrier. When we do, you run. You don't look back, you simply run. Run like you had just burned Kakashi's stash of porn books." Iruka opened his mouth to protest, but just then Dragon spoke. "Good luck, Iruka. NOW!"

Instantly a hole big enough for Iruka to run through formed and he took off, running faster than he ever had before, the pseudo-werewolves hot on his heels. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw several pseudo-werewolves climb a tall tower and jump down the middle of the dome. The moment they vanished out of sight, the barrier fell. Iruka looked straight ahead, the flashes of fire becoming more and more pronounced. He was, however, painfully aware of the pseudo-werewolves right behind him. He drew two kunais and spun on his heel. There was four pseudo-werewolves pursuing him, the closest two four metres away. Iruka didn't know if it was skill or pure dumb luck, but when he flung the two knives at the monsters, they opened their maws of death and destruction. And although it did nothing to quell his anger, sorrow and nausea, the Academy teacher would be lying if he said that he didn't feel just a bit of pride and grim satisfaction when the sharp weapons hit the back of the monsters' mouths, instantly killing them. However, at that moment, the two others leapt at him.

"Iruka-sensei, get down!"

Iruka reacted on instant as he heard Owl's order. The Academy instructor dropped to the ground, getting covered in mud. However, he looked up when he heard Owl speak again. "Eight Trigrams, Demon Fist: Devil Strike!"

A large fist of coiling flames flew over his head, slamming into monster before smacking them through a house. Once the fire over his head stopped, Iruka got to his feet and stared at the approaching former ANBU Commander, mouth agape. "I have… never seen… a member… of the Hyuuga clan… utilizing that… sort of jutsu… before."

Owl shrugged, slightly out of breath. "That is because I'm not a Hyuuga." He looked at the younger shinobi. "Iruka, what are you doing here? Where are Dragon and his squad?" When he was met with silence, Owl sighed. "I see. We better see if we can find the others. Byakugan!"

Iruka's mouth dropped. "You just said you weren't a Hyuuga! Then why do you have the Byakugan!?"

Owl let out a small growl. "Lower your voice, would you? I would prefer not having more of those monsters find us. But I guess I'm contradicting myself slightly as my words and actions aren't quite in harmony. This way." They started walking down the streets, heading west. "When I said I'm not a Hyuuga, I meant that I'm not from either the Branch or Main Family. I'm what back in the days were called a Mission-Child; the child of a shinobi on a mission. To make a long story short, my grandfather was on an infiltration mission, got drunk and got a woman pregnant. That woman gave birth to my mother who years later gave birth to me. My grandfather went back to Konoha and had a family of his own and none of them ever knew about me. And I would prefer that it stayed that way. It's better for everyone, believe me."

Iruka was dumbstruck. He had of course heard about the so-called Mission-Children. It wasn't often, but it did happen that a child appeared either within or at the city gates, claiming they were the children of Konoha shinobi. Kids and teenagers no one recognized or could link to any clan. He fell in step beside the ANBU.

"I'm sorry Owl. It must have been hard. I promise you, your secret is safe with me. But just out of curiosity, how many knows?"

Owl paused for moment before turning down an alley. "Alive? The Hokage, Kakashi, Jiraiya, me, and now you as well. And besides, it is not so bad. I don't have a seal on my forehead and don't have to listen to their council. Of course I would like to talk with my nephew and nieces sometime, whom I believe you taught a few years back, but for the moment, that is not possible lest I want the suspicion and attention of the Hyuuga Council."

Iruka opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment, a lone pseudo-werewolf chose to attack them head-on. Owl got into a stance Iruka had seen before: The stance of the Hyuuga clan's Gentle Fist. But then the similarities ended. "Eight Trigrams, Demon Fist: Devil Strike!"

Owl formed a fist and made a jab, blowing a huge fist made of fire right in the pseudo-werewolf's face instantly killing it. Owl simply continued walking after confirming his kill. "I can activate the Byakugan at my command, but like Kakashi, the toll it takes on my chakra reserves is greater than if I was even a half-blood Hyuuga. Also, my Byakugan's ability is inferior to that of my half-brothers'. I cannot see the Chakra Network in fine detail, nor do I have their range of vision. I have a 180° field of vision compared to 360° and I have never been taught their Gentle Fist style. But by observing them, I have made my own style, Demon Fist where I incorporate my affinities in my attacks and defences. But because of how taxing it is, I prefer using normal ninjutsu. Ah, we are here."

Iruka was left in bafflement and wonder at the all the information Owl had given him, and looked around. They were in the middle of the town, the town hall to their right. It was, miraculously, still intact, not yet touched by the fire. Iruka frowned.

"Ehm, I mean no offence Owl, but what are we doing here?"

Owl looked around. "Standard ANBU procedure. During infiltration missions of an overrun town, unless the team leader gives a different under, if the team is split up, you are to meet at the town's town hall. And yes, Lord Jiraiya is well aware of this. And I wouldn't worry too much about Remus-san. If I was the enemy, I would be the one worrying about meeting him. He is currently making his way towards Kakashi." He released his Byakugan and hurried inside the town hall. Here he leaned against a wall after Iruka closed the door. "And now… we wait."

11111

Kakashi was getting beyond frustrated with his current predicament. He had slain twenty pseudo-werewolves with his sword, but more kept coming and he was being pushed back. Moreover, not counting the initial kick, he had not managed to land a single hit on the cloaked guy. The bastard had evaded every trick he had thrown at him, even his Lightning Shadow Clone. Whoever his opponent was, he was skilled in both ninjutsu and taijutsu. And the guy was no slob with a sword either. Had it not been for his Sharingan, Kakashi would have been in really big trouble. And he was running out of paper bombs and kunais.

'Damn it. I used that Lightning Clone as a call for back-up, but I guess they are all busy. So Kakashi, it is a great deal of mess you have gotten yourself and the others into this time. Now how do I get them out again?'

'_Killing them all usually works, human. But even you should realize that you are vastly outnumbered by now._'

Kakashi lost a step in shock at the sound of the voice. It was a deep melodic voice that belied its bloodlust. It was resonating with power in Kakashi's mind and the voice could only come from one. 'Wolf?'

There was a low growl. '_The name is Silvertooth. And I'm not at your service. But while I would like to chat, it seems you are in over your head. But please, try to prove yourself worthy of my time._'

That was all Kakashi needed to be told to snap back to attention, and just in time. Bringing up his sword, Kakashi barely blocked the cloaked ninja's attack. Letting out a growl, Kakashi pushed the assailant back and aimed a kick for his head. But as if having a Sharingan himself, the shinobi ducked and aimed a kick himself. And this one connected. The Copy-Ninja did a backflip before landing safely on his feet. Letting out a growl, Kakashi launched himself at the assailant. But there was something wrong.

He was moving faster than normally. Not giving it much thought, Kakashi unleashed a storm of strikes, swipes and jabs at the cloaked shinobi, forcing him backwards. He jumped backwards, landing fifteen metres away. Kakashi started moving towards him again, but three pseudo-wolves charged him. Letting out a snarl, Kakashi did something might have been a mistake. He threw his sword, nailing the one furthest in the back right between the eyes. What he didn't count on, however, was that his toss had enough raw power behind it to pull the monster four metres through the air before it landed in the mud. The second one swiped at him with its left, but Kakashi neatly caught it with his left hand, twirled and twisted before punching the creature's shoulder, the force of his blow easily smashing the scapula and dislocating the shoulder. The pseudo-werewolf let out a howl of pain before Kakashi ended its life with a powerful kick to the neck. The third got him.

Together they crashed into the ruin of a house. The scuffled on the floor for a few seconds before Kakashi got a grip on the monster's throat and snapped its neck. Looking at his hands, Kakashi couldn't believe what he had just done. He had made that motion countless times before, but never with that much power. Then he remembered what Remus told him the night before the full moon. _""I don't know if it will make a big difference for you, but usually, your five senses will increase gradually; so will your strength, speed and stamina. Also, back where I'm from, you will get some resistance to jutsu, not to mention more power behind those you cast"_"_. _

'I see. So this is what Remus meant. Well then, let's try out his theory, shall we?'

'_Now we are on the same page, human. Come, let me see you let loose._'

Kakashi let out silent snarl and charged up his Raikiri. Then he burst through the side of the building, his strides longer and more powerful than before. It wasn't much, but it was enough. Just as the cloaked shinobi picked up the Copy-Ninja's sword, Kakashi of the Sharingan came at him and attacked.

Time seemed to slow down, but Kakashi vaguely registered two things: His Raikiri was glowing more brightly than before, but there was another thing. Added to the sound of a thousand chirping birds, there was also a very vague sound of a wolf howling. Time sped up again, and Kakashi removed the sword from his attacker… by relieving the assailant of his arm. The Copy-Ninja landed on the ground behind the enemy, having caught his sword in mid-air, sliding several feet in the mud. Spinning around, Kakashi was witness to something that he had only heard about. And that was years ago.

The enemy shinobi's arm was regenerating in the form of specks of ash and dust. Kakashi felt his anger building and he let out hiss of anger and disgust. "The jutsu used by Orochimaru against the Third Hokage… Edo Tensei."

The resurrected shinobi turned to face him, but the moment his back was turned, someone attacked him from above. "Giant Ball Rasengan!"

The resurrected shinobi looked up, performing a substitution jutsu right before Jiraiya's attack connected. The Toad Sannin cancelled his jutsu just in time. "Are you okay, Kakashi?"

Kakashi nodded as he took in the older ninja's appearance. "How about you, Jiraiya-sama? You look worse than you usually do."

Jiraiya scoffed. Kakashi teasing him was nothing new, but still, Jiraiya was soaked to the bone and covered in mud and thus had a hard time seeing the fun in it. "I had a run in with those pseudo-werewolves. I was careless, I will admit, and let down my guard. Had it not been for my Needle Guardian, those vicious mutts would have used me as a chew toy. As it is, I ditched them and left a couple of Shadow Clones to play with them."

Kakashi shook his head, but he spun around when pseudo-werewolf came crashing through a roof from the street on the other side. It was dead, but it wasn't alone. Remus Lupin landed a few seconds later, panting heavily. He took one look around and deadpanned.

"Seems like you guys already found out about the ambush." The he straightened up. "What is the status here?"

Kakashi was about to answer when he noticed that his attacker was back. "I've killed twenty-three pseudo-werewolves, but this guy keeps bugging me. I've only managed to land a few hits on him, while he has pushed me back. He is an Edo-ninja, a ninja resurrected through the Edo Tensei or Reanimation if you will."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes at the assailant. 'An Edo-ninja, eh? And Kakashi has not been able to land more than a few blows on him? No wonder Kakashi has had his hands full here.' He looked at Remus. "My Shadow Clones and I've slain about forty of those mutts. And I almost got turned into a chew toy." He looked the younger man over in mild concern. "Seems like they have gotten to you a few times."

Remus shook his head, eye never leaving the Edo-nin who so far just was looking at them. It was true however that a few pseudo-werewolves had slashed his face "This is nothing. By tomorrow, these wounds will be nothing more than scars or gone completely and will just be more bad memories. I would have been worse if not for my cloak. During my encounter with Orochimaru, he told me about Ghost Cloaks. My original thought was to make some upgrades to them, but I found myself unable to. I know too little about how they were created other than their purpose. Instead I made this cloak hard as steel, fire- and waterproof."

Jiraiya nodded absentmindedly. "In any case, we need to deal with this guy before we move on."

The Sannin had barely uttered the word before the city wall exploded and even more pseudo-werewolves poured in through and over the wall. Remus frowned. "There are too many to fight here. We need to withdraw. But for that we need a distraction… and a big one. Any ideas?"

The Copy-Ninja and Toad Sannin nodded once. They would both provide a distraction and send a signal to the others that they were still alive. "Fire Element jutsu. On three. One…"

Kakashi took up the count. "Two... Three!" Three voices shouted at once. "Fire Element: Great Fireball jutsu!"

Three humongous fireballs rolled towards the Edo-shinobi before hitting the house he was standing on and exploding. When the fire and heat subsided, the three shinobi had disappeared.

11111

Iruka was pacing the city hall. It had been ten minutes, and only Stag had showed up. Needless to say, Iruka was anxious and more than a bit on edge. So when the doors to the town hall opened, he did the first thing that came to mind: He threw a kunai at whoever entered.

"Whoa Iruka-sensei! If I knew you would throw a kunai at me, I would never have changed your Academy entry slides with advertisement for Icha-Icha."

Iruka blinked as he took in the appearances of the three men before him. Then he realized what he had done and faint blush appeared on his cheeks. "Sorry about that Kakashi. It…" The Kakashi's words sank in. "You did what?! Are you telling me I got a scolding by the Hokage and accused of being a pervert because of you!?"

Kakashi rubbed his neck with a sheepish chuckle. "Ehm… if I say yes, will you throw more kunai at me?"

Iruka got bright red in the face, though, this time it was out of anger. But before he could say anything, a head popped up from the floor, followed by a couple of shoulders. When the figure fully emerged, ANBU agent Mouse stood before them, Dragon slung over his shoulder and another ANBU with the mask of a Crane. Kakashi was the first to speak, all joking humour gone from his voice.

"Agent Mouse, what is the status out there?"

Mouse waited till all the present had gather around. When he spoke, one could hear the fear, sadness and anger in his voice. "It is hell out there, Lord Hatake. Pseudo-werewolves are milling around the city and outside, scouring and combing the town and forests for us. They will be here in five minutes, max."

Kakashi nodded. And though he had didn't dare hope for it, he knew he had to ask. "What of any survivors?"

Mouse shook his head. "None, sir. I managed to pull Dragon out when his team's barrier fell, but I could not save the rest. I stumbled upon Crane here by sheer luck." He shook his head again. "The rest are dead. And so are the citizens of Okawa. I have not picked up any sign of life apart from our battles. We are just us."

Kakashi sighed. 'Only the nine of us, huh? And from the look of it, neither Ox nor Dragon are able to fight much more. But even if they were, we are too vastly outnumbered.' He turned to Remus. "Remus-san, Tsunade-sama said that should we encounter pseudo-werewolves, you have top priority and has the final call on our course of action. Well, I think this situation matches that description perfectly."

Remus closed his eye. What he had seen in this town was easily on par with some of the most horrible things he had seen during the two wars he had taken part in. But he needed to suppress those images and be clearheaded if the nine of them was going to survive this mess. Quickly coming up with a plan, Lupin addressed the survivors.

"We need to warn the Hokage and the Leaf. Jiraiya, and Iruka, you will go do this." He held up his hand to cut off the protests that he knew would come. "I mean no offence, but Iruka, among us, you are the least powerful. You teaming up with Jiraiya are the better option. And Jiraiya, I know I cannot order you around, but seeing how you are most likely the most powerful here, Iruka's chances of surviving this and getting back to Konoha is highest with you. I also believe this is how you form your genin teams?"

Iruka and Jiraiya looked at Remus once, then at each other before nodding. The elder of the two spoke up. "I don't like this Lupin-san, but I will do it. I will get Iruka back to Konoha."

Remus nodded his thanks before continuing. "We will also need to send out warnings to the immediate villages. That will be the ANBU agents' job. Tell them to evacuate to Konoha immediately. If they cannot reach Konoha within one day, send them to whatever safe places or allies or you have."

Kakashi frowned. "For them to have a chance of getting out of here alive we will need a diversion of some sort."

The elder werewolf nodded. "And that will our job, Kakashi." He held up his hand to stop them all from protesting. "I heard the Hokage's words as well as you all did, but it is a squad leader's job to make sure his teammates survive." He looked around at the faces and came to a decision. "As I'm sure all of the ANBU and Jiraiya know, Kakashi and I are both werewolves and thus immune to a pseudo-werewolf's bite."

Dragon spoke up. "No matter how you slice it, Remus-san, the Hokage's orders were clear; you are now our top priority. We cannot simply walk away and let you be bait."

Remus crossed his arms. "If you have a better idea, then now would be a great time to speak up. We have about one minute left." No one spoke. Remus could tell none of them was happy with his idea, and to be honest, he didn't like his own idea either. It was, however, their best option and they all knew it. "All right then, let's do this. Kakashi… are you ready to make some noise?"

A small smirk graced the Copy-Ninja's lips behind his mask. "As ready as I will ever be. I was born ready."

Remus gave a weak nod while Jiraiya frowned at them. Then he sighed. "You two better come back alive, you hear? Because if you don't, I know two blondes who are going to have my hide if I return and you do not."

The two guys who were going to be the distraction gave a tight nod. And with that, they went out in the rain again.

11111

The plan went wrong almost immediately. They had barely set foot outside before they were attacked. The pseudo-werewolves weren't many, but they were enough. Jiraiya killed the final one, or so they thought.

"GAAARRRGRGRG!"

They all spun around, and they were just in time to see Ox push his sword through the chest of a pseudo-werewolf. Iruka instantly went forward as Ox went to his knees, clutching his shoulder. "Shit! Quick, we got to…"

Iruka was forcibly pushed aside from the heavily convulsing ANBU agent by Remus who stormed forward and took position between Ox and Iruka. Then, Ox was no more as Remus cut him down with a vertical slice. Remus frowned as he looked at the body. It was no longer Ox's big frame, but the corpse of a pseudo-werewolf in tattered ANBU uniform.

"Seven seconds… that is all it takes for the transformation to be complete. It would appear, however, that the transformation doesn't start until the pseudo-werewolf release the bite."

Suddenly Remus found himself shoved against the wall. Looking down, he looked into the angry eyes of Iruka Umino. "Why you… why did you kill him!? We could have subdued him with drugs and brought him back to Konoha for treatment! There was no reason to kill him!"

Remus fought down the growl that rose in his chest. Neither Moony nor he appreciated being pushed against a wall. Taking a few calming breaths as to not remove the younger man with unnecessary force, he met teacher's eyes with a hard gaze of his own.

"I'm sorry Iruka, but there is no cure. Once bitten, there is no going back. Had I not cut him down, Ox would have attacked us. And I don't think Ox would have liked being used against the village." He glanced to the south, seeing and hearing another scouting party approach. "Get going. "

Iruka glared for a few seconds before releasing the older man. He knew deep down of course that Lupin was right, but that didn't mean he had to like it. It was not often an ally turned foe in matter of seconds without you being able to try reasoning with him. Without saying goodbye, he and Jiraiya took off. Jiraiya created another Shadow Clone to carry the body of the transformed Ox with them for an autopsy back in Konoha. Then the ANBU took off to do their assigned task.

Remus and Kakashi nodded to each other as their teammates sped off and walked to the middle of the city square. They were not trying to hide. They needed to attract the attention of the pseudo-werewolves and give their comrades a good head start. Then, they would try getting the hell outta there. They glanced at each other and gave a small nod. Then they formed seals.

"Water Element: Water Wall!"

Mud and water rose from the street, forming a thirty feet tall wall, sending the two first lines of pseudo-werewolves high over their heads. Then line after line slammed into the wall, but it repelled them. Kakashi put the strength of the jutsu down to the two of them using the same jutsu on the same time, but he could feel power surging through him and his friend. 'Already now the wolf's chakra is empowering my own and thus my jutsu.' He looked at the other werewolf who nodded again. 'We are reading each other well.' They formed seals again.

"Fire Element: Phoenix Flower jutsu!"

The water wall fell to the ground with and the nearest pseudo-werewolves was washed down. And the next in line got the full brunt of the large barrage of small fireballs. But even after setting ten of the creatures ablaze, more kept coming. Kakashi looked at Lupin as they both drew their blades and cut down the first two pseudo-werewolves within reach.

"This area is too open. We need to find a spot that is easier to defend."

Remus nodded tightly as he cut off the head of one pseudo-werewolf and downed another with a blow to the throat. "I agree. In the middle of the northern part of the city, there is a large square surrounded by walls and dome roof with an opening. The only exits and entrances are the one leading into the city and one leading further north."

Kakashi nodded his consent. He was well aware of what square Remus spoke of. He cut down another pseudo-werewolf. "The Northern Market Place. Let's go."

With that the two men took off in a sprint, heading north. They did, however, manage a quick glimpse of Kakashi's attacker and several other warriors wearing cloaks. After a few minutes, they reached the middle of the Northern Market. Spinning on their heels, and ignoring the bodies around them, they unleashed their next move down the hall they just came.

"Fire Element: Liquid Flame jutsu!"

The hallway was filled by a flood of fire. Kakashi allowed a small grin to appear as he heard the pseudo-werewolves' howls of pain. Then he looked up as he heard the sound of hundreds of paws thundering over the stone roof. "Remus, the ceiling!"

Lupin looked up and formed seals. "Boar, Hare, Dragon, Dog, Hare. Lightning Element: Bolt Canon!"

The ball of lightning flew through the hole zapping a cloak wearing enemy. The moment the enemy landed, the first thing that assaulted them was the stink of decay. Remus quickly drew his wand and pointed it at opening in the ceiling, non-verbally casting a barrier that blocked the hole and then repeated the process with the pathway leading north.

"That will hold them, but only for a few minutes. We need to move before we are trapped here." He looked down at the ninja lying before them. "Do all those, Edo-ninja, was it, smell like this?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No. From what I remember from the description, ninja resurrected by the Edo Tensei have no scent."

Remus frowned. "Where I'm from, there is something called Inferi. They are basically animated corpses. Voldemort used them in the first war. This thing matches it quite well except for one thing: It moved too gracefully. Inferi are slow, but they have inhuman strength."

Lupin's words ignited a small memory from a dark lab in Kakashi's mind. A heavy tome and a scroll describing Edo Tensei. And an unsettling thought started forming in his mind.

"Remus-san, when we get back to my study, there is something I would want you to have a look at." He looked at the doorway, then the ceiling, and then the doorway again. "We don't have much time. We will need to get to the Northern Gate and make a stand there. From there, we will head for Konoha." He looked to the ceiling again. His chakra levels might have increased, but perhaps it was because of his recent bout of mild Chakra Cancer or perhaps it was his body that yet had to adjust to the change, but he was starting to feel the drain on his chakra. His first fight against the Edo-nin and now their little hit-and-run tactic, if it could be called that, was taking their toll. "We need to move it or we will be trapped."

Remus gave a grim nod and the two men took off, heading north towards the gate. They arrived in record time and took position above the gate, but only got another minute to catch the breath before the pseudo-werewolves appeared. Gritting their teeth in frustration, they looked at each other and silently agreed upon a strategy. Remus went first. "Water Element: Water Wall!

Once again a huge wall of water and mud rose, though this one was only twelve feet tall. As the first pseudo-werewolves leapt over the wall, Kakashi unleashed his jutsu "Ram, Snake, Dog, Boar, Horse, Rabbit, Horse, Tiger! Fire Element: Inferno Wave!"

It was by far Kakashi's most powerful Fire jutsu, and empowered by his new condition as a werewolf, the result was pure destruction. A concentrated of blazing hot white flames burst from his mouth and hit the water wall. The moment it did, it sucked out the opposite element's chakra and grew in size and fanned out in a 180° wave of fire. That was why it was his most powerful Fire jutsu; you couldn't counter with a Water jutsu. If you did, the wave of fire would only gain power. It did, however, take up a considerable amount of chakra and it left Kakashi panting. Had he tried this before becoming a werewolf, he would have fallen unconscious. As it was, he was just extremely tired, but not tired enough to not be able to run. He had a feeling, however, that the moment they reached the Hidden Leaf, he would need some rest. His chakra had barely recovered from their spar earlier, and now he was pushed to his limit.

But as taxing as the jutsu was, the results were worth it. The fire jutsu had done its job and burned the immediate area of the northern part to the ground, taking, hopefully, a large part of the pseudo-werewolf army with it. But they could already hear more growling in the distance, telling them that this was far from over.

Lupin looked at Kakashi. It was clear to the older of the two that Kakashi was, for now, at his limit. And he had not paid enough attention to copy that jutsu. "Kakashi, are you alright?"

Kakashi took a few steadying breaths before nodding. "Yes, but we need to retreat now."

Remus gave a curt nod and the two men jumped from the gate and onto the ground outside the city walls before running up the slope. Once they reached the top of the slop and was hidden in the treeline, they turned around. Kakashi narrowed his eye as he saw a flash of light flying towards the sky. "What the…"

Kakashi's words died on his lips as the jet of light exploded and formed the Dark Mark in the sky, hovering over the middle of Okawa and bathing the city in eerie green light. What he saw almost made his heart skip a beat and judging from the sharp intake of breath next to him, he figured he wasn't the only one who was shocked.

The city of Okawa was crawling with pseudo-werewolves. The streets, the ruin, the roofs; wherever they looked, pseudo-werewolves were milling around. How many had they killed? One hundred? It hardly matter, because the army should be counted in thousands. And more came running to the city from south, west and east. "Remus-san…"

Lupin nodded. "I see them, Kakashi. I see them all too well." Then his eye narrowed, squinting at the town centre. Then his eye widened and he let out a gasp. "Bellatrix and she… oh no. No!"

Kakashi looked at where Remus was pointing he started cursing. It was hard to make out forms in the rain, but he could see what could only be a woman dancing around merrily; it could only be Bellatrix Lestrange. She was dancing a circle of pseudo-werewolves, between them and a large mass of what could only be the survivors of Okawa huddled together with no escape. Kakashi watched with rising anger as Bellatrix made another turn in the circle before stopping. The moment she did, the pseudo-werewolves lunged and the night was filled with the screams of the citizens, young and old alike.

It was obvious to Kakashi what had happened. They had attacked the city, herded the survivors, those deemed fit to join their ranks, out of town and just waited for them to show up. The moment they knew they had escaped, or perhaps started the retreat, Bellatrix had her army return in full strength, herding the civilians to the large centre square. Then she had set up the Dark Mark. She wanted them to see the very people they were sent to save die as they were turned. She wanted them to see their failure. A low growl rumbled in his chest, but a louder growl made his head snap to his right.

Remus was trembling with rage. What he was witnessing… hundreds of innocents being bitten by monsters and Bellatrix laughing uncontrollably. It was unforgiveable. He wasn't thinking, just acting on instinct. And that instinct told him to tear his enemies to pieces. However, he only managed one step before he felt strong arms restraining him. He let out a snarl that would have made most men back off.

"Let me go, Kakashi! I'm going to tear her to pieces! Let me GO!"

Kakashi only tightened his hold, thanking his enhanced strength. "Remus, they are too many! You will never get close to her!" Remus only struggled harder, and Kakashi felt him breaking free. "Damnit Remus, stop it! It's too late! You can't save those people, and it won't help anyone if you throw your life away! Live today, fight tomorrow!"

But it was no use, Remus was beyond reason. "Let go off me, Kakashi! I'm going to kill her! LET… ME… GO!"

With that Remus got loose, and Kakashi cursed the older werewolf's strength. Moving swiftly, the younger of the two took two steps and dealt a quick blow to Remus' neck.

Remus was sure he was out of Kakashi's reach. So when he felt the blow to his neck, his eye widened in surprise. Feeling his consciousness slipping, Remus took it all in: Kakashi restraining him again, the rain, the Dark Mark, the fires, the pseudo-werewolves and the screams of the civilians.

Things started to darken, but he summoned the last of his willpower. 'Moony… I accept your offer. We have a deal.'

As the last ounce of consciousness left him, he heard a soft chuckle. '_So be it. We have an agreement._'

Kakashi was sure Remus was unconscious, but just as he adjusted his grip so he would be easier to carry, he felt tremendous power surge through the older man. But he stayed unconscious. 'Remus… what just happened?'

With a last look at Okawa, he vowed that they would have vengeance. But even as he left for Konoha, Remus over his shoulder, Kakashi had a hard time believing that Okawa and her 6,000 inhabitants had been killed over a few hours.

00000

"No, Granny Tsunade, it's not true. Please tell me it is not true."

There was an ounce of childish pleading in his voice, but Naruto didn't care. How could such a wonderful morning go so terrible wrong? When he first awoke, he had found himself snuggled up to Tenten under a blanket in the Hatake Mansion, the first rays of daylight hitting him. Not about to let some blasted sunlight ruining his comfortable position, Naruto tightened his hold on Tenten and slept on. A few hours later, he woke again by his girlfriend shaking his shoulder and asking if he wanted breakfast. Well, that got him up pretty quickly for two reasons: One, he was hungry and two; Jiraiya had, quite literally, beaten into his head that as a man and host, you don't ask your girl to bring you breakfast. However, when Naruto asked why not, Jiraiya had gone bright red and rubbed his head. In all likelihood, Jiraiya had done exactly that.

The two had had breakfast and spend another two hours on the couch, both silently wondering why the estate's other two inhabitants hadn't shown up. The study was locked, so that ruled out that possibility. They had checked their bedrooms, but they weren't there. Moreover, it appeared that their beds hadn't been slept in. That, however, didn't worry Naruto as both men made their beds after getting dressed. Agreeing that they were probably training, they went to the usual training ground. No one was there. Then they went to the Academy as they had learned that the silver-haired sensei often relaxed in tree there. He wasn't there either. And no one at the Academy had seen Iruka. Starting to get worried, they had gone to the Hokage Tower. What they found here was shocking.

An absolutely drenched and covered in mud Jiraiya and soaked Iruka stood in front Tsunade, giving their reports. Apparently the two of them had been on mission during the night, and it had been far from a success, even with three ANBU teams backing them up. However, what really made cold dread run down Naruto's spine was when Tsunade said that Kakashi and Remus had been on that mission as well and should have been back hours ago. And when Jiraiya told them that the two men had stayed behind as a diversion and the numbers they were likely facing, Naruto would have fallen if not for Tenten supporting him.

Tsunade sighed. "I'm sorry Naruto, but for now, I have no choice but to consider them M.I.A. And seeing how Kakashi is a jounin and Remus-san is likely somewhere near that level as well, if they do not return before noon, I will have no choice but to label them as K.I.A."

Naruto could only stare in shock. He was too worried to feeling angry that his four favourite teachers had been sent on mission that very well could have cost them their lives. As it was, two had returned, two had not. Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but just at that moment, a genin burst into the office, out of breath.

"Lady Hokage! I was sent by Kotetsu-san and Izumo-san to report that Lord Hatake and Remus-san just walked through the Main Gates."

The Hokage's office was empty before the kid spoke the last syllables.

00000

Kakashi didn't care that he and Remus was dripping water and mud all over his house. Ignoring his protesting muscles, he strode into his study, Remus hot on his heels. The Clan lord knew he should head to the Hokage Tower and then the Hospital, but this could not wait. His muscles were aching because of the chakra drain and having to carry Remus halfway to Konoha. That in itself was strange. He had hit people like he hit Remus countless times before, but never did they lose consciousness for that long. However, when Remus regained consciousness again, Kakashi felt the power coursing through the other man. Deciding to ponder it later, Kakashi quickly found what he was looking for: The scroll and book he took from Orochimaru's fortress. He tossed the book to Remus.

"Does book mean anything to you? Especially the pages I marked?"

Remus turned the heavy tome over in his hands. The title of the book was long gone, but he had no doubt that this book was on dark magic. He turned the pages till he reached the pages Kakashi spoke of, and his eye widened.

"This is more or less a walkthrough guide on rising Inferi." He looked up at Kakashi. "Why?"

Kakashi gave a grim nod. "I figured as much after your explanation on them." He held up the scroll. "This scroll is on how Edo Tensei works and the attributes the resurrected shinobi will gain. The ninja who I fought with initially was, without a doubt, a shinobi resurrected through Edo Tensei. The other, however, the one which fell down in the Northern Market, was not an Edo-ninja. And according to you, it moved too gracefully to be an Inferius."

Remus frowned deeply as he took in all the information "From the looks of it… oh no."

Kakashi gave a tight nod. "Yes. What Orochimaru has researched, and most likely succeeded in…"

Remus was aghast and pale, and his voice sounded hoarse, even to his own ears. "This must be the ultimate level of necromancy."

Kakashi gave grim nod. "Edo Tensei requires the sacrifice of a living soul, the body acting as a vessel for the summoned soul. It would appear Orochimaru found a way around that. Most likely, the enemy ninja we encountered before Naruto and I got taken captive was the test run."

"KAKAKSHI HATAKE!" Kakashi and Remus both winced at the loud voice of the Hokage. Turning, they came face to face with the angry faces of Tsunade, Jiraiya, Iruka, a worried and relieved looking Naruto and Tenten who looked like she didn't know if she should yell at them or smile. But before they could say anything, Tsunade continued. "Kakashi, why the hell did you not return to the Hokage Tower to give report or the Hospital?! Both of you are dead on your feet"

Remus' face darkened at Tsunade's words, but didn't say anything else. Kakashi spoke. "My apologies Hokage-sama, but this took precedence. As I'm sure Jiraiya-sama has told you by now, we encountered at least one ninja resurrected through Edo Tensei. Now, if my hypothesis is correct, Orochimaru found a way around the usual requirements for it. And from the looks of it, like with the pseudo-werewolves, Bellatrix inherited the control of those as well." He turned to look at Remus. "Remus-san, do you have anything to add?"

Remus shook his head. "No. But if possible, I would like to rest a few hours before resuming training."

Kakashi nodded before turning towards the Hokage. "Lady Tsunade, as Jiraiya or one of the others if they are back might have told you, Remus-san ordered an immediate evacuation of the immediate villages. We should probably expect a lot of people coming to the Leaf. Now, if you will excuse me, I would like to shower and then rest a bit."

Tsunade bit her lip, still slightly angry and having half the mind to drag the Brat to the Hospital. But as he only seemed to suffer from chakra drain, there was no point. Besides, she had seen him when he had completely depleted and couldn't stand, so all things considered, he was well. And hating to ask the question, she knew it was necessary.

"Kakashi… the pseudo-werewolf army… how many?"

The Copy-Ninja felt the tension in the room. It was so thick that he could have cut it with a knife. And while he knew he was the bearer of bad news, they all needed to know what they were up against. "A great host, Tsunade-sama; 5,500 strong at least. And I fear their numbers will grow further. And with the attack on Okawa City, the message is clear: Bellatrix, as crazy as she seems to be, intends to strike Konoha once she believes her army to be strong enough. We are at war once more."

00000

When Kakashi came to the training field the next day, still not complete rested, he was not surprised to see Remus already waiting for him. The man was an early riser. "Morning, Remus. How long have you been up?"

Remus shrugged. "About an hour before sunrise. I'm ready for the next point of my training."

Kakashi cocked an eyebrow. "Really?"

Remus nodded and pulled three leaves from a tree. Using his Lightning Nature, he made one leaf curl into a ball. Then he took another leaf and using his Fire Nature, he burned the Konoha insignia into it and kept it smoking without the rest of the leaf catching fire open palm. Last, he placed the third leaf in his palm and he disintegrated it in sixteen symmetric pieces forming the Hidden Leaf symbol in a pool of water in his hand.

"I think this is what you wanted me to have me do. Though, there were some mistakes along the way. I finished the task with Water fairly easy, but Fire and Lightning was much more difficult. Practising those under a tree was a bad idea."

Kakashi glanced around. Sure enough, a few trees had been set ablaze recently. It was obvious that Remus had rested a few hours yesterday and then gone here to train. That was a bit extreme, but then he remembered Orochimaru's words. 'While we are physical superior to wizards, their chakra and their mastery over it are, at least in some aspects and for those who have passed the age of 15-17, much stronger and better than ours.' Kakashi couldn't help but agree. He had felt Remus had powerful chakra before, but now, it was even more potent. He could just imagine how those trees caught fire. Remus had simply been under them and poured too much chakra into the exercise. He smiled inwardly. Perhaps they would reach the final step of this training. And after supervising Naruto's training, he knew just how to go from here. And the person he needed just appeared. The Copy-Ninja turned to greet the younger shinobi.

"Morning Yamato. What can I do for you?"

The younger shinobi gave a short bow. "Morning Kakashi-senpai, Remus-san. I was sent by Tsunade-sama to make sure that you don't overdo it, Kakashi-senpai."

Kakashi eye-smiled. "Please tell the Hokage that I don't plan on doing anything physical today. I will just supervise Remus-san's training today. By the way, do you think you could divide the waterfall into three? I'm afraid I don't have enough chakra to manipulate it yet, and there is no one else I trust to divide it in three equally pieces."

Yamato stared at Kakashi for a few seconds before clapping his hands together, and the large waterfall he created for Naruto's training was cut in three identical waterfalls. Rubbing his neck, Yamato spoke. "Well, I better get going. See you later, Kakashi-senpai, Remus-san."

With that the younger man hurried away. Remus turned to the silver-haired man beside. "So, I guess the waterfalls have something to do with my training?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yep. What I want you do is to stand on that beam of wood and do this to one of the waterfalls: With your Lightning Nature, I want you to create enough voltage to stop the flow of water. On another waterfall, I want you to use your Fire Nature to create enough heat for the water to evaporate for ten seconds. On the last waterfall, you have to use your Water Nature to stop the water from flowing further down. You will need to build up a massive amount of chakra and then release it all at once. In essence, this exercise is about power and less control, compared to the first exercise where it was about absolute control and minimal power. "

Remus nodded his understanding. Realizing that this was easily going to be very straining and likely to make him break a sweat, Remus discarded his cloak, flak jacket and jounin shirt. Standing topless, he jumped onto the wooden beam and looked at the water flowing, trying to settle on what Chakra Nature to use first. Settling on Water, he set to work.

00000

Three weeks went by, and there were both good and bad news. Each day, more reports came in on the pseudo-werewolf army attacking villages in the Fire Country and some of her neighbours, but Tsunade estimated that the casualties could have been lot worse since most of them had been evacuated. Still, Kakashi had found himself needing to remind Remus that there was nothing he could do about it.

The good news was that the Medical-ninja had made progress with Naruto's treatment. They had managed to produce the medicine in pill form, meaning that he now didn't have to go to the Hospital every day. And they had made the agreement with Tsunade that, depending on her schedule, Naruto would come to the Hospital or Tsunade would come to the Hatake Mansion for Naruto's regular healing sessions.

Naruto was, understandably relieved, but the pills had a few adverse effects. After taking the pills, Naruto had to sleep for a few hours as they raised his temperature while they did their job, giving him a slight fever. He also had trouble holding his food down if he ate and then ingested the pills afterwards. Lastly, the pills also had the side effect that they caused a mild nausea in general and woke him up in the middle of the night. So combined with his nightmares, though they were starting to become less frequents thanks to his sessions with Inoichi and Ibiki, Naruto spend many hours at night talking with either Kakashi, or Remus, or sometimes both when the woke from either him screaming or from their own night terrors.

Still, compared to not being able to do anything after a treatment, it was a plus for Naruto. And while Tsunade said that it was too early to speak of a cure, she estimated that the pills might be just enough to be used as a preventive medicine against Chakra Cancer and she was talking about the possibility that they might be able to use the healing factor of the werewolf virus in other treatments and antidotes.

This of course required that Remus would be willing to donate more blood, but he told them that so far, his blood would only be used to help Naruto. If the pills stopped being effective or if they somehow managed to cure Naruto completely, then they could start talking about it, as long there was no risk it would turn the intended patients into pseudo-werewolf. And that went for Naruto as well.

Tsunade had also conducted the autopsy on the pseudo-werewolf brought back from Okawa. They had discovered, with the help of Neji, that the chakra network of the pseudo-werewolves were more complicated than that of a human, but less than the one Remus and Kakashi had. The two werewolves had two chakra networks, but the pseudo-werewolves seemed to only have one. From Neji's findings, the pseudo-werewolf had approximately 150 extra chakra points, most likely created by the virus, and those chakra points had then overpowered the rest of the system, subjecting the human to the transformation. Also, the pseudo-werewolves also seemed less resistant to ninjutsu as their hair was less dense with chakra, but Neji estimated that their resistance to ninjutsu still would be a significant problem.

They had been careful discussing this with Remus, as they didn't want him to go lose control and storm out to look for Bellatrix. But he had just nodded and then continued with his training.

Kakashi was starting to worry for Remus' mental health. He was pushing himself too hard, perhaps even harder than Naruto. He had completed the Water Nature part in four days, while he had passed the Lightning in one week. Now he was struggling with the Fire Nature, but based on his success so far, it was only a matter of time.

But Kakashi was amazed. What usually took years, Remus had accomplished in less than a month. And without the use of Shadow Clones. He supposed Remus' powerful chakra, impressive stamina and chakra control was to thank for that.

Kakashi sighed as he turned another page in his book. He was also starting to worry for his own health. Silvertooth had only spoken up in his mind a few times since that night, but he remembered Remus' warnings all too well. As long as it was just growling there was no reason to worry. When the wolf started speaking, that was when he should be concerned. He knew he would need to tell Remus soon, but with everything going on, and not wanting to pause Lupin's training and him working cracking his sensei technique, it was hard finding the time to do so.

Just as he was about to turn another page, there was a violent explosion from the waterfall. Looking up from his book, he saw Remus flying through the air before landing on the ground just to collapse a few seconds later. Hurrying over to the older man, Kakashi knelt beside Lupin. "Are you alright?"

Panting and with sweat running down his entire frame, Remus still managed a weak smile. "I did it. I finally did it. I've always found defence easy compared to be offensive, but I think I overdid it a bit."

With that he closed his eye, a tired smile gracing his features. Looking towards the waterfall, he saw that a belt of flames kept vaporizing the water hitting it for fifteen seconds before dying out.

'Remus-san… you are really something.'

'_You got that right, human. He is a worthy rival._'

Kakashi grit his teeth. He would have to talk with Remus about Silvertooth soon.

00000

Later that evening, Remus, Kakashi, Jiraiya, Naruto, Shikaku and Tsunade were gathered in the Hokage Office. They were to discuss the upcoming full moon, but they were running out of ideas. It had already been decided that one of them would spend the nights in the Forest Of Death, but where to place the other was giving them a hard time, considering Remus had already destroyed the cage build by the First. And they had more or less nixed the idea of having Yamato build another one and then stay and reinforcing it as the one trapped inside it tried to break free. The reason for nixing the idea was the fact that Yamato couldn't go on for three days and nights in a row.

Kakashi sighed. "We will find a solution to this. But Remus, first I need to tell you a few things."

Remus frowned in suspicion, the storm outside was not helping on his mood. "Alright."

The Copy-Ninja put his hands in his pockets. "I've not been totally honest with you, Remus-san. The training we have done over the last three weeks is not just about you obtaining better control of your Element Natures. It has been a measure for me to find out strong your chakra control and how powerful your chakra is. And what you have done should basically be impossible. The exercise with the leaves? It combined chakra nature and shape manipulation into one. Passing them in such a small amount of time is unheard of. For one chakra nature it might be possible, but to complete all three? Impossible. Then there were the waterfall exercises. Again, completing one in a short amount of time is not unheard of, but completing all three in less than a month has never been done before. Especially considering the elements. Lightning techniques require the second most powerful chakra and the best control. Fire jutsu take the most powerful chakra nature and the second best control to be used correctly. And finally, there is Water techniques. Often underestimated, they roughly require the same amount of powerful chakra and chakra control. The fact that you have mastered your elements to this extent so fast makes me wonder how fast you will master the next step."

Remus cocked an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "And that would be?"

Kakashi eye-smiled and started forming seals. "Ox, Rabbit, Monkey. Chidori." The sound of a thousand birds chirping filled the room. "My own original technique. I've a more powerful version of, called Raikiri, but let us start with Chidori. First I channel chakra into my hand and change its nature into an electric current. That is nature manipulation. Then I change its shape to that of a power surge, determining its power and range. To form Chidori, I use both nature and shape manipulation at the same time. Tomorrow, I will start teaching you Chidori as I believe you already have the speed needed." He cancelled the technique." But there is another thing I need to speak with you about. Two actually."

Remus, who had followed Kakashi's little demonstration with rapt attention, snapped up to meet his gaze, eye slightly narrowing. "And that would be?"

The Copy-Ninja let out a sigh. "My wolf has started speaking. It stared speaking during our mission to Okawa. It isn't often, but he has given me his name: Silvertooth, and he demands to meet face to face. Preferably before the full moon. What do you think of it?"

Remus frowned, mulling it over. Then he sighed. "We should try to arrange a meeting. I would like to meet this wolf of yours. For if he is anything like Moony he could very well be trouble."

'_You wound me Remus. I proposed and agreed to a deal that benefit you the most._'

Remus let out a silent growl. 'Yeah, after how many years of tormenting of me? Besides, aren't you interested in meeting your… son?' Okay, that was a weird thought. Did that make Kakashi some sort of son too? He shook his head to clear it for any more stray random thoughts.

"The sooner we meet him, the better. Otherwise he will most likely only become more persistent and will someday be strong enough to force you to meet him. Also, by meeting him, we might be able to learn something of your unique connection."

Kakashi nodded. "I will arrange a meeting with Inoichi Yamanaka tomorrow." He pushed himself from the wall. "Remus, one more thing. When we left Okawa, I had to knock you out. But I noticed your chakra surge tremendously and I have been unable to find any logical reason for this growth in chakra."

Remus sighed. He had figured Kakashi might have noticed something had changed. He allowed his hand to travel slowly to his eye patch. "That power surge was me making a deal with Moony, my inner wolf. I gave him my word that I would give him his freedom. This means that I will never try to lock him in a cage, be it in this world or a mental one. Nor will I never try to put him an enclosure or, should I return to my world, never try to subdue him with Wolfsbane Potion. In return, he would stop trying to kill Kakashi, Naruto and my other friends while I'm in human form. In short, he won't try to take control of my body again. I would also get access to his power reserves, increasing my own stamina, speed, strength, healing rate and senses even more. Lastly, I will be able to use his left eye simultaneously with my own without consequences."

As if to prove his point, Lupin pushed up his eye patch, giving them all a glimpse of the untameable rage and bloodlust of the werewolf. It was so intense that Naruto, remembering his close calls with the werewolves all too clearly, had to look away. He turned to look out the window, watching the wind shaking the trees and bringing the dark clouds.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, and put her hands together in front of her. "That is a very dangerous promise to make so easily, Remus-san."

Remus nodded, closing his left again. "I know, Tsunade-sama. But there is no going back on this deal. I made an Unbreakable Vow with Moony. If he breaks it, he will cease to exist within my mind, allowing me to control as I see please. But should I break it, I will die and Moony will assume his true form, regardless of the moon. And I'm not about start playing a game of cunning with him to get him to break the vow; he is a lot smarter than you think, and he will not be easily fooled."

Tsunade was about to speak, but then Naruto spoke up. "What is up with that cloud?" He pointed out the window.

Jiraiya, who had leaned against the window beside Naruto, turned around and looked outside. "What cloud kid?" Then he saw it and his eyes narrowed. "It's moving fast… against the wind. And it's heading… here."

With a flick of his wrist, Remus had his wand in his hand. "Get away from the window! It's Bellatrix!"

00000

Bellatrix smiled as she, Madara and her Edo-ninja stood in the darkness, watching the Hidden Leaf before them. After tonight, her Lord would rise once more. All she had to do was to complete this mission and she could return to her world and resurrect the Dark Lord, leaving Madara and his pathetic organization of disgusting half-breeds behind.

"Are you ready, my faithful soldier? You should be honoured. After tonight, the Dark Lord will return!"

The Edo-ninja turned his head slightly and a deep voice spoke from within the hood. "You should be grateful to Orochimaru, witch. Without him, you would never have gotten this far. And I assure you, had he not done his homework and known what he was doing, I would have killed you the moment you summoned me."

Madara glanced at Bellatrix. "It seems you don't have complete control over this guy. I'm starting to doubt you are up for the task, even with your army backing you up. After all, attacking Konoha will be quite different than the other villages."

Bellatrix bristled, but she resisted the urge to curse the man. He was her ticket to her own world, after all. "I have as much control over him as Orochimaru granted me, Uchiha. I would have loved to have more powerful purebloods like him under my command, but he is the only Edo Tensei ninja I got. Orochimaru never got to complete his work, but even so, with them and him among the pseudo-werewolves, Konoha will fall. You will do well to remember your part of our agreement."

Madara narrowed his gaze. "First, you have to uphold your part of the bargain. If you do not deliver the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki and Kakashi Hatake to me in the Hidden Rain, alive, and in Hatake's case unspoiled, the deal is off. And while you are at it, if it is not too hard for you, do try to kill Remus Lupin. You were, after all, quite vocal about Kisame not being able to this. Secondly, I do not like being threatened. Now… get going."

Bellatrix let out a silent snarl before taking off into the skies, her Edo-nin heading towards the Leaf on the ground. How dared the Uchiha belittle her? Well, she would make him eat his words. She would deliver that silver-haired werewolf and blond kid to him, even if cost her the combined forces of pseudo-werewolves, Edo-Inferi and her Edo-ninja. This mission was too important to fail. No matter the cost, she would see the Dark Lord returned to power. Besides, she had a fail-proof plan. The scum of Konoha would never know what hit them.

Madara looked on in disgust as Bellatrix approached the Leaf Village. Soon, the Nine-Tails would be sealed and he would have the last Hatake in his grasp. And once that happened, he would like to ask him where the remains of the boy's tanto went.

Thinking of that tanto brought him back to the time he fought Sakumo Hatake. He had abducted the White Fang's comrades in hope of Sakumo failing his mission. Well, he did, but Madara had not counted on Sakumo coming after him in person. A mistake that almost cost Madara his life. That tanto was deadly, even to him. After that mission where Sakumo's son got his Sharingan, Madara had hoped to pick up the rests of that tanto, but Minato Namikaze beat him to the punch. He doubted what the future Fourth Hokage knew what he had salvaged that day. He doubted that even Sakumo knew that that tanto was all what remained of the First Kakashi's time and space bending sword.

"The time is ripe. Let the war begin."

00000

"Get away from the window! It's Bellatrix!"

Jiraiya didn't think twice. He grabbed Naruto and tossed him to the floor, the larger shinobi shielding the younger one with his body as the windows were blasted in, followed by an insane laughter. Jiraiya saw several flashes of light being fired from the black cloud of smoke that had flown into the middle of the Hokage Office. He briefly wondered why Konoha's barrier team hadn't detected her, but pushed it aside when both Tsunade and Shikaku got hit by random beams of light and slumped to the floor.

"Tsunade!" He was stopped abruptly as Bellatrix, now in normal form, pointed a bone-white wand at him, another wand trained at Remus who shielded himself and Kakashi by a force field. "Damnit."

Remus, eyes never leaving the deranged woman, quickly assessed the situation. Shikaku and Tsunade were down, but he could still hear their hearts beating, even though Tsunade's heart was beating faster than it should. Most likely, she was hit by a spell of Bellatrix's own creation, but that was bad enough. Shikaku seemed only to be stunned, but he dared not make a move to counter the spell as Bellatrix had her wand pointed directly at him. Glancing towards Jiraiya, he noticed the older man and Naruto slowly edging their way towards Tsunade, the bone-white wand following them.

'No mistake about it. That is Orochimaru's wand.' His voice was deadly calm when he spoke, but Remus felt the anger rising within. "So, you finally show yourself Bellatrix. But you must be even more crazy than I thought, coming here. After what you pulled in Okawa and the other villages… give us one good reason, I beg you, one good reason as to why we shouldn't tear you to pieces."

Bellatrix just cackled. "Uhhh, is the big bad wolf angry? What is the matter, wolfie? Are you feeling angry after seeing me killing all those Mudbloods? Are you going to try to tear me to pieces with your tears, just like you did after I killed your Mudblood parents? Or after I killed your first little mate and your little cubs? You know, I think I'm going to let you live, just so I can watch you weep after I kill your youngest. After all, I've already killed that filthy second bitch of yours, haven't I?"

Silence reigned for a few seconds. Then, the office itself seemed to darken and grow cold. Remus stood frozen in place. Then, when Bellatrix's admission sank in completely, the room got the full blow of the combined killing intent and bloodlust of both Remus and Moony. Both of them were seeing red, and for the first in almost two decades man and wolf agreed wholeheartedly on one thing: Before this night was over, Bellatrix Lestrange would be no more than a bitter memory.

Without caring who might get caught in the crossfire, Remus drew back his wand like it was an arrow and jabbed it forward. "TORDEN!"

At the same time, Bellatrix pointed both wands at him and yelled out "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

The spells collided in mid-air and the sound of a thunderclap deafened them all for a millisecond. Then, the Hokage Tower's roof vanished in an explosion of green light. That, as the people of Konoha soon would discover, was only the beginning of the hell that was about to be unleashed.

End chapter 25

AN: Oh my. Has it really been that long since I last updated this? It's way too long, and I can only apologize for the long wait and hope you won't come after me with pitchforks and torches. Well, one can say I have lost the right to call people slow updaters.

And damn I hate having to edit this for being able to post it on

On that note, I want to thank all of you have reviewed and added me and this story to alerts and favourites, and thank you so much for staying patient with me.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

31


	26. Chapter 26

**AN: Hi. Long time, no see. Because of it being so long since I last updated, I think it is only fair to give a recap of the major events up till now. **

Recap: Due to unforeseen circumstances, Remus Lupin survived the Final Battle, ending up in the Naruto world where he was found by Team Kakashi and Team 10 after their fight with Kakuzu and Hidan. They brought him to Konoha where he got introduced to the life as a ninja and much to his dismay discovered that his inner wolf, Moony, has escaped his cage. He went on mission with Team Kakashi and Team 8 (Kurenai) to track down Itachi Uchiha, but they were attacked when they made camp for the night. After the fight, Naruto, Kakashi and Remus were abducted through a Portkey. Once they met their abductors, they were shocked to see Orochimaru being alive and working alongside Bellatrix Lestrange.

Naruto was tortured and got seals suppressing the Nine-Tails power branded into his skin and were later discovered to have been injected with Chakra Cancer, disabling him from using ninjutsu. Once full moon came, Naruto and Kakashi, after initially escaping their cell, came face to face with Moony. Kakashi was able to save Naruto from the rampaging werewolf, but ended up being bitten. Kisame, having come to retrieve Kakashi and Naruto for the Akatsuki found Remus, now as a human, and together they ventured into Orochimaru's underground fortress with their own agendas.

Remus was successful in retrieving them, but because of his deception to save them from Kisame, ended up almost losing his life because the Konoha High Council suspected him for being spy. Kakashi, in order to prevent this, claimed his rightful place on the Council as Lord Hatake and enrolled Naruto into his clan so that he wouldn't go back to being a part of Konoha's orphan program. Kakashi, Lupin and Naruto all moved into the Hatake Mansion.

Full moon came and, despite Remus warning them that their precautions wouldn't be enough, Moony went on rampage through the streets of Konoha. Kakashi, now a werewolf, found Moony about to maul Naruto and intervened, though he later lost the struggle of control. Remus would later note that no one had had been able to hold control over the wolf unless one had the Wolfsbane Potion. Naruto and Remus reconciled later after a heart-to-heart conversation a late night and the blonde have come to see Remus as another teacher. Naruto is now in a relationship with Tenten.

Late one night, after having sparred in the day, Kakashi and Remus was summoned by Tsunade as she demanded their expertise. Remus, Kakashi, Jiraiya and Iruka travelled to the city of Okawa, just to find it destroyed, overrun by a large army of pseudo-werewolves led by Bellatrix.

And now, Bellatrix has attacked them in Konoha.

**I think that about sums it up. Sorry for the long wait. But here it is. Fasten your seatbelt for chapter 26 of 'Magical Shinobi' **

Chapter 26: Chaos Besieging Konoha

The evening was warm, a soft breeze blowing. The sound of child laughter reached his ears from the market. And from all the music and light, the ninja knew a festival was going on. It made him regret even more what he was about to do, for soon the army of that deranged woman would invade Konoha: His home. The army was in in positions, all preparations made. He started forming seals, looking at the Hokage Mountain as he did so. He drank in the familiar faces of the First, Second and Third. But when his face fell on the two other faces, he did a double check. He would recognize those faces anywhere even if he had no idea how long had passed since he last saw them.

'Heh, who would have thought that that brat to Minato Namikaze would indeed end up as a Hokage of the Hidden Leaf? Makes me wonder if he had any luck with that redhead he chased after like a lost puppy.' His gaze shifted to the last face, and he felt a pang in his chest. 'Little sister Tsunade… you became a Hokage as well? The gods seems to enjoy torturing me, even after my death. To think that I will have to face you in battle.' He started forming seals. 'Please, forgive me.'

Then, as the roof of the Hokage Tower was blasted off in an explosion of green light, his jutsu was ready. "Lightning Element Summoning Jutsu: Lightning Mirror Gate!"

A lightning bolt appeared out of the night sky, hitting the ground nine feet from him. Then, a beam of white and blue light shot from the site of impact and rose till was at least 10 metres high. Once it reached that height, it expanded till it was 10x10 metres wide. It wasn't long before the first line of Orochimaru's abominations walked out, soon followed by another, and another.

The Edo-nin felt a tug in his mind, and he growled. What he wouldn't give to rip Orochimaru and that woman to pieces. But the binding of the Edo Tensei was too strong. He had his orders. The first one had been carried out. Now he would have to take care of orders number two and three.

'The gods must have a cruel sense of humour and irony' he thought bitterly as he came near the Hokage Tower. 'I disobeyed orders when alive but I'm being forced to obey when dead.' He looked up in time to see two trails of smoke rise into the air, flashes of light flying back and forth between them. And as he walked closer, he saw several forms flying across the rooftops above him, none of them seeing him. 'Curse you, Orochimaru and Bellatrix. I hope you will burn in the deepest parts of hell.'

With that he jumped up to meet the ones he had to fight.

00000

Time had seemed to slow down for Kakashi. But when he saw the two spells flying towards each other, one word entered his mind: Bad. He flattened himself against the floor and in his peripheral vision he saw Jiraiya shielding Naruto once more. The explosion shook the entire tower and roof vanished in a blast of green light. The dust hung heavily in the air, but Kakashi was sure he saw the light of what looked like a lightning bolt through the cloud. When the cloud cleared, Kakashi pushed his headband up and opened his Sharingan. What he saw made his breath hitch.

Bellatrix and Remus were still facing off. The crazy woman had a look of delight on her face, but that was not what shocked him. It was the black chakra rolling off the older werewolf and the potent killing intent he was radiating. Remus Lupin was, at the moment, the avatar of blood rage and destruction. And the fact that Bellatrix was not picking up on just gave testament to her insanity.

"Come and get me, big bad wolfie! HAHAHAHA!" With that she took off, her laughter ringing in the air.

There was a short silence then a huffing sound as Jiraiya got back on his feet. "I've met some crazy ladies in my time, but that one takes the prize as the worst. A little warning next time would be nice, Lupin."

Lupin didn't answer, his gaze turned upwards. Following the direction of his gaze, Kakashi was able to pick up the smoky form in the skies. Glancing towards Jiraiya, the Copy-Ninja could easily see the trembling of his younger charge. But Kakashi couldn't blame Naruto for shaking; the rage and bloodlust pouring off his newest friend was beyond anything he had ever witnessed from a human. It even surpassed the one he felt when he encountered Lupin in his wolf-form for the very first time. And Kakashi didn't need to dwell on it too much to figure out why. What he was feeling at the moment was the combined rage of both wolf and man. And then he recalled Remus mentioning the deal he had cut with his inner wolf. For now, they were for all intends and purposes, one, and Kakashi couldn't help but being amazed. But now was not the time for that. Now was the time for getting the situation under control.

"Remus…"

The other man turned his gaze towards Kakashi, but only for a second. But his mismatched gaze, especially the eye of the wolf, was more than enough to convey his inner fury. Looking upwards, Remus spoke in a low voice.

"Kakashi… please, I know what you are going to say: That we will put an end to this together. But you must understand… Bellatrix has taken my family from me. Not just once, but thrice. First time was my parents… then my first wife and children. She killed my second wife and now she is threatening my youngest son. Bellatrix has made this a personal matter. But it will end tonight."

Kakashi frowned. "I understand that Remus, but what about the pseudo-werewolf army? Surely you don't think she would be stupid enough to attack the Leaf alone?"

Remus just continued looking into the sky. "No. But I leave her army to you. There is nothing more I can tell you about them… not until after I've met your wolf… if that will ever happen. Besides, no Leaf ninja would follow me into battle. You will have to lead them." He took a deep, calming breath. "I must go now. Kakashi… Naruto… Jiraiya… please… don't interfere with my fight."

With that he took off into the sky and soon, flashes of different colours could be seen and small explosions heard. But soon, the night was filled with screams and howls and Kakashi realized when he saw an odd light coming from somewhere near the market that, somehow, Bellatrix had found a way to transport her army of monsters directly into the heart of the Leaf Village. How, he had no idea, but they needed to stop it or Konoha would suffer the same fate as Okawa. He looked at Jiraiya and the Sannin gave a curt nod.

Growling, Kakashi ripped off his left sleeve before biting his right index and middle finger. In one smooth movement, he smeared the blood over his ANBU Tattoo. It was a knowledge his father had passed to him. As the ANBU was originally founded and led by the Hatake Clan, they used their Blood Ninjutsu to create the tattoo. Aside for being a way of identifying ANBU members among the regular forces and telling their gender, it was also a way of assembling the ANBU captains at one point in the blink of an eye. In other words, it was a space-time ninjutsu embedded into the ANBU Forces' skin. And as the ANBU was founded by his clan, and he used to be a commander of ANBU himself, Kakashi could at any time act as ANBU Commander, and thus had the ability to invoke that power. And with both the Hokage and Jounin Commander down, the ANBU Commander was in the charge of the Village's military.

He had barely smeared the blood across the tattoo before all of the captains were present, just as the Dark Mark appeared in the sky. "What the…"

The murmur died down when the skull opened his mouth and dark forms started raining down from it. Knowing that it couldn't be good, Kakashi started barking out orders.

"Cheetah, alert the clans. Get every jounin-level ninja we have to the Main Market. Horse, you and your squad alert the Hospital and set up a perimeter. Anything that gets within range: Turn it to ash. Dragon, I need you and your team to strengthen the barrier surrounding the village. Rabbit! Start immediate evacuation of all civilians, genins and Academy students. Hawk! Get every non-clan jounin-level shinobi to the market. All chuunin-level ninja are to guard the safe houses, walls and be our second line of defence. Owl; you will be our eyes on the battlefield. Set up a command post and man the long range-weapons. The rest of you, get your squads and head to the market. Until we can find a way to stop the enemy from sending reinforcements, our priority is containment. I will be there shortly. Now, get going! We have a village to protect!"

With every ANBU captains took off. The Copy-Ninja turned to the Sannin. "Lord Jiraiya, I know I cannot order you around but…"

Jiraiya held up a hand, the other gripping Naruto's shoulder. "No need, Kakashi. I will look after them."

Kakashi nodded before turning his gaze to his student. But before he could speak, Naruto beat him to it. "Be safe Kakashi-sensei. I will stay here. And if any of those monsters get past you, Pervy Sage and I will protect Granny Tsunade and old man Shikaku."

The Jinchuuriki didn't like it, but his last adventure had taught him to accept some facts. And now, fact was that he couldn't use his jutsu like he used to. And he was reminded of the Wave-mission… when teamwork was to stay out of the way. He didn't like it one bit, but if it meant Kakashi having one thing less to worry about while fighting, not joining the fight was what he was going to do. The Copy-Ninja read it all on the face of his sensei's son, and he was both proud and devastated. Proud that Naruto was growing into a reliable young man, but devastated that his growth had come through the horrors he had experienced. Nodding tightly, Kakashi of the Sharingan sped off.

He quickly caught up with the army of ANBU and he took position in the lead, not taking notice of the fact that more and shinobi were joining them. By the time they reached the market, most of Konoha's shinobi were with them, lined up for attack. The scene in front of them, however, was anything but orderly. Pseudo-werewolves were running around, bodies strewn everywhere. Stands had been turned over, and houses were burning. More pseudo-werewolves dropped from the glowing skull, but that was not all. They were emerging from the wells of the city, and Kakashi realized that they had to shut down three routes for the pseudo-werewolf invasion: The skull in the sky, the blue light not far from the market and the caves and water supply below the Hidden Leaf.

Kakashi knew that chances of success were against them. And even with success, it was going to come with a heavy loss of human lives. And he knew that many of them would have to kill their comrades when they got bitten. Remus had explained that because he was already smitten, Kakashi could not be turned by a pseudo-werewolf, but their friends did not have the same kind of immunity.

A hand grasped the Copy-Ninja's shoulder and Kakashi would most likely have beheaded the man if he didn't already know who it was. Only one person would be foolish enough to do so in their current situation. "Gai."

The spandex clad ninja smiled, but it soon vanished as his face turned grim. "Kakashi, are you ready for this?"

If Gai had asked him that question twenty years ago, the last Hatake would have beaten him to a pulp. And if anyone had told him that the taijutsu master would end up being his best friend, he would have said that it was more likely Jiraiya would stop peeping. But as time had passed and both men had lost comrades and friends, they had formed a strong bond of friendship. They could convey their thoughts with a single glance and no one could bring calm to Kakashi like Gai could. Quite a feat, considering Gai's personality. And what Gai was telling him right now with his eyes was that Kakashi would have his full support and he would cover his back; like he had many times in the past.

Nodding grimly, knowing that what he was about to say would not be welcomed, Kakashi turned and spoke, his voice cold and calm, belying the anger rising within him. The ones who heard him and survived would later say that his voice silenced the growls and the screams of the enemy.

"My fellow shinobi of Konoha! This enemy is the one that destroyed Okawa. And now, they have brought the fight to us. Make no mistake: this enemy is unlike any encountered before. And not all of us are going to survive the night." Grim silence. They knew this; they were soldiers. Kakashi continued. "Our enemy is brutal. They show no mercy. No man, woman and child will be spared if we fail tonight. And they have a terrifying weapon: Their bite. If you get bitten by these monsters, you will become like them, bound to fight your comrades. If you get bitten, and if you truly care for your comrades next to you, turn the blade against yourself. Save your comrades from the pain of having to kill you." An uneasy mutter rose from the shinobi army. Kakashi held up his hand and silence fell once more. Even the host of the pseudo-werewolves seemed to be aware of the presence of the shinobi army. Enemies wearing cloaks ran around the midst of the monsters, trying to get them to form lines and Kakashi chose that moment to try and bolster his comrades morale. "Remus, a stranger, is currently battling the leader of that monster army. The leader, Bellatrix, knocked out the Hokage and our jounin commander. An outsider is battling one we should deal with, risking his life. It would be most shameful of us should we fail."

Another round of murmuring, but the Copy-Ninja could also hear the aggression towards their enemy. Time to give the final push. "But we have something they don't: We have the will of fire! The will to fight for our village and for our comrades! Now, it is time to show these bastards what the will of fire is all about!" A roar of approval and Kakashi drew his sword as he turned around. "The eyes of the previous, the current and the new generations watch us tonight. So for the sake of our village… for our Hokage… for your friends… for your family… and for the unborn generations of the Hidden Leaf Village… ATTACK!"

The army of Konoha let out a loud battle cry before setting in motion. On the same time, the pseudo-werewolves roared and started moving. As the two armies approached, Kakashi had one of his most random thoughts to date. 'Did I really just give a speech in front of all the shinobi of Konoha? I wonder if there is something as Talk Jutsu?'

Then teeth met steel as the armies clashed.

00000

Remus growled low in his throat as he gained on Bellatrix. They had exchanged several spells already without making contact and had even fired ninjutsu at each other, though this caused them to be in free fall as they couldn't keep up the battle range-apparition while doing so. The sound of screaming reached his ears and he glanced down. Big mistake.

"Morsmordre Kuchiyose!"

Lupin was thrown through the sky as it exploded in green light and the Dark Mark appeared. The werewolf growled as he landed quite roughly on the stone face of the Second Hokage and watched in growing fury as forms descended from the skull's mouth.

'_Lupin, you don't have time for those second rate mutts. We've got company nine o'clock._'

Remus growled. 'I know.' He spun on his heel "Torden!" The spikes of the Third's hair vanished in an explosion of green light, stones falling to the streets below. Suppressing the urge to attack right on, he Remus ground out. "Your choice, Bellatrix. Surrender now and I promise you, I will give you as quick a death as I can. Fight and I will tear you apart, inch by inch." He moved his head to the right, a Killing Curse flying past him. A smile spread over his face. "I hope that that was your choice. Fire Element: Hellhound jutsu!"

A ball of flames was blown from Lupin's mouth, before it morphed into fiery wolf. The blazing beast gave chase to Bellatrix who retaliated with two Killing Curses. The result of the curses hitting the wolf was that the Fourth Hokage got a blazing hot haircut that could be seen from most of the village. The battle of the Leaf's survival was on.

00000

"Naruto, get away from the edge please." The boy turned to look at him with empty eyes, causing the Sannin to sigh. "I know you are worried about Kakashi, but glaring at the battlefield isn't going to help. He is a tough guy; he knows how to take care of himself. Besides, when you stand that close to edge, you are an easy target for the enemy."

Naruto nodded slowly then backed away from the edge of what remained of the office's wall. He couldn't explain it, but a shiver ran down his spine as the Fourth Hokage's hair was engulfed by fire. Perhaps it was because that he knew that Bellatrix wouldn't be in the very heat of the battle among her monster army, and where Bellatrix was, Remus was sure to be. Perhaps it was worry for the other man that Naruto had grown to like and think of as a sensei. But something was wrong. Like he was being watched by someone he couldn't see. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Tsunade let out a loud groan and sat up, and the two males hurried to her side.

"Granny Tsunade, what happened? Why are you shivering?"

Tsunade didn't answer at first, opting to wrap her arms around her. After a few seconds, she stopped shivering, but her voice still sounded broken. "Genjutsu. I… I just couldn't break it."

Jiraiya placed a hand on her shoulder, reaching out with his chakra. Whatever it was Bellatrix did to her, it was over now. Now they only had to deal with the aftermath. "Tsunade… what did you see?"

The Slug Sannin took a deep breath. "Dan… Nawaki… I saw their deaths… all over again… then… you… Naruto… the brat." She looked around what was left of her office, and her eyes took in the raging fire from the town marketplace and they all saw the nose of the First Hokage get hit by a blast of light and lightning. "What… what is going on here?! The last thing I remember is that woman attacking and getting me with that genjutsu."

Jiraiya sighed, his face troubled. "After knocking you and Shikaku out, that psychotic woman taunted Lupin-san and took off, him following right after telling us not to interfere with his battle." He looked up as the sound of thunder was heard, the tip of the Third's nose getting blown off by the force of the spell. "Then this weird blue light appeared near the market, then that hideous skull in the sky. From what I can gather from just observing the skull, it acts as a gateway through time and space for her monsters and I believe the blue light is the same. In short, a complicated and more permanent version of the Summoning technique. My best guess is that Orochimaru helped Bellatrix in altering the original version of the Dark Mark or whatever that skull thing is called. But what the blue light is… I've no idea. But one thing is clear: Bellatrix appears to have brought her entire army of pseudo-werewolves into the very midst of our village."

Tsunade couldn't believe her ears. Despite all of walls and tightened security, Bellatrix had still managed to attack them at the very heart of the village. And during one of their festivals no less. She looked around the room, only now noticing Kakashi's absence. "Where is the Brat?"

Jiraiya turned to look towards the market, helping Tsunade back on her feet. "Out there, leading the counterattack. I don't reckon they will be able to close the enemy's way in right away, so they are most likely going for containing the enemy, keeping the enemy focused on them instead of the civilians."

Just then a voice spoke up. "A great strategy. But I'm afraid it won't be that easy." Three heads swirled to look in the direction of the speaker, landing on a tall man with a cloak. They regarded each other for moment before he spoke again. "The fates are indeed cruel. To think you are the two I will have to fight against you my old friends… Jiraiya… Princess Tsunade."

Three sets of eyes widened when the stranger's hood fell, revealing the face underneath. Jiraiya growled out curses under his breath as a tear slid down Tsunade's face and Naruto was momentarily lost for words. The Toad Sannin was the first to recover.

"Curse Orochimaru. To think this is how we would meet again."

Naruto looked back and forth between the two elderly shinobi and their adversary. "Pervy Sage… Granny Tsunade… he… who is he?"

The Hokage answered, putting herself and Jiraiya between the teenager and the enemy. "He is an old friend of ours who died many years ago. You have heard of him, I'm sure." Silence. Tsunade had to force out her words. "He was… no, is… the White Fang… he is Sakumo Hatake. He is Kakashi's father."

Naruto's mouth dropped open and he stared at the sad face and lifeless eyes of the once great shinobi.

00000

Bellatrix dodged a red and white sphere the size of a football. It had been many years since she last saw it, but she remembered it quite well. She laughed as the sphere of destruction hit the cheek of the Fifth Hokage, scorching the right side of the stone face and denting it quite severely. She laughed as she launched a firestorm at the incoming werewolf, making an impressive collaboration jutsu. Lupin, however, didn't think too highly of it.

"Water Element: Water Wall!"

Remus' chakra was powerful to begin with. But when combined with Moony's, it was many more times potent. The force of the water being expelled from his mouth almost knocked him off his feet. But it extinguished the flames, engulfing the stone faces of the Second, Third and Fourth Hokage in steam so thick that one could barely see one metre ahead. When the heavy fog lifted, Bellatrix sufficiently, Bellatrix fired a few Killing Curses and a volley of fireballs, making dodging impossible. Lupin just growled.

"Lightning Element: Protego!"

Lupin didn't know why or how he did it. He just clasped his hands together, wand pointing upwards, but his chakra responded to him, erecting a lightning shield in front of him, easily dissolving curses and fire to nothing but heat. But he knew that this fight ended now. Lightning shield still holding up, Remus repeated the process over and over in his head.

'Channel chakra into my hand and change its nature into an electric current. That is nature manipulation. Then I change its shape to that of a power surge, determining its power and range… Channel chakra into my hand and change its nature into an electric current. Then change its shape to that of power surge, determining its power and range… channel chakra! Change its shape to a power surge!'

The night was filled with sound of a thousand chirping birds and Remus charged at the woman who had a look of utter shock on her face.

00000

There was no end to them. Kakashi jumped, ducked, hit, kicked sliced, chopped, spun, jabbed… he was pretty much taking down pseudo-werewolves with every attack. And yet the kept coming. It wasn't any comfort that he and his brothers and sisters in arms were succeeding in containing the fighting. And Falcon, Eagle and Hyena was out there hunting every pseudo-werewolf that managed to break through their lines

The army of Hidden Leaf shinobi had successfully surrounded the monster army after the first onslaught, taking advantage of their numbers. That was the good news. The bad news was that they didn't have any way to get close to portal in the sky or the one in the midst of the monsters. They hadn't gained any ground yet, and to make matters worse, their lines were thinning because of the monsters' ability to turn them. In short, every time they killed one, it seemed a new was ready to take its place.

Growling, Kakashi activated his Raikiri and launched himself into the fray again.

00000

Naruto couldn't believe his ears. And yet, now that he got a better look of shinobi in front of him, he couldn't deny he looked remarkably like Kakashi. "He… he is… Kakashi-sensei's… dad?"

Sakumo's eyes widened. "Did you just… Kakashi… my son… he is your sensei?" He looked closer at Naruto, a frown on his face. "You look just like… tell me boy, what is your name? Who is your father?"

Naruto, beginning to feel uneasy in the crowd, answered in a low and respectful voice. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, sir. I don't know who my parents are… Kakashi-sensei has been my teacher for a few years now, and he recently enrolled me into the Hatake Clan because of some… violent circumstances, legally becoming my guardian."

Sakumo regarded Naruto for a long moment. "Uzumaki… so Minato-kun actually managed to win Kushina-chan's heart… who would have guessed? Heh, your student had more luck with the ladies than you, eh, Jiraiya?" His voice was so low that the others in the rooms didn't hear him. When he spoke again, he addressed the older ones. "How… how is my son?"

Jiraiya answered. "He did not take your death as well as you hoped he would. He became cold and distant… even to those who cared the most about him… and he was hellbent on following shinobi conduct and completing mission, no matter the cost. It was only years later, when one of his teammates saved his life at the cost of his own, that he changed his views, putting his teammates over his mission." He took in his friend's crestfallen face. "Today, he is the leader of the Hatake Clan, has taken his place at the city council, and one of the Leaf's most respected jounin. He is currently out there, leading the counterattack." His eyes narrowed. "Sakumo… you were brought back by the Edo Tensei jutsu for a reason. Why are you here?"

Sakumo sighed, regret all over his face. "Yes. I'm sorry my comrades, but it was I who led the monster army in the recent attacks. Just like this one. The blue light you can see? It was one of my space-time ninjutsu I developed shortly before my death. It cuts a rift in the space-time continuum, or in simpler words: It opens a portal through space and time, enabling you, or armies, to travel over great distances instantly. The plan was that one third of the monster army would attack through my gate, another third through some woman named Bellatrix's spell. From what I can gather, she and Orochimaru made it so that they could summon the first ones through a normal Summoning Jutsu. From my understanding, she has somehow modified it so that the ability to summon them will be transferred over to the newer ones as well. The last third of the army would attack through the underground caves and rivers that are connected with the main wells around the Main Market."

Naruto frowned. "Then… why are you here and not out there fighting?"

Sakumo turned his head slightly, making the younger shinobi shift slightly on his feet. "Bellatrix gave me two other orders. One is to stop Konoha's strongest. My second order is to stop any who actively protects the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi." He sighed sadly, before turning his attention to Tsunade and Jiraiya again. "Where is Kushina? And who is guarding her now that Minato can't look after his Red Hot-Blooded Habanero?"

Naruto's experience had made him grow in many ways. Unfortunately, one thing he hadn't developed was the ability to keep his mouth shut. "Look pal, I don't know why you are interested in those two people, but let me save you the trouble of looking: I'm the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails."

If the situation wasn't so dire, Tsunade would most likely have thrown Naruto out through her wall… no, wait, she didn't have a wall anymore, courtesy of Bellatrix and Remus. In any case, she had warned Naruto of the consequences if he ever did anything life-threatening stupid again. But first, they had to survive the night before she could dole out punishment, whether Kakashi approved of it or not.

Turning her gaze to her living friend, she saw the same sorrow and tiredness she felt. Now they were forced to fight their friend, and in her case, youth crush, who had been dead for over two decades. Both of them were steeling themselves for the fight they knew were coming. But first, they needed to somehow get Naruto away from their battlefield.

With a simple look at each other, they silently exchanged ideas. Divide and conquer: One would grab Naruto and bring him to safety while the other would hold off Sakumo. Their other option was that they would both attack and hope that Naruto would make a run for it. But they both knew that this was the White Fang of the Leaf they were dealing with, so both options probably weren't going to go smoothly. Before they could reach a decision, however, Sakumo spoke up in a soft voice.

"I see. So Kushina is most likely death as well. A shame… I rather liked that little hothead." His gaze turned to Naruto. "Naruto-kun… I can tell by just looking at you that you aren't like most shinobi. I sense a strange power… no, not the Kyuubi… in you. You are fiercely loyal to your comrades of the Leaf Village. I see that Kakashi has raised a fine shinobi in you and, even if you don't share the name Hatake, will bring great honour to both the Hatake and Uzumaki name… which is more than I did." He sighed. "But first, you will have to survive the night. And you won't do that if you stay here. I know you don't like the idea of running from a fight, but that is the best assistance you can offer Tsunade and Jiraiya in this situation. So please, run… run and hide for your own sake. But not just for your own sake, but for the sake of the village and those dear to you. Run and hide from the enemy, please."

Naruto frowned. "But I thought… your orders…"

Sakumo smiled, even if it was a sad one. "My orders are to stop anyone who tries to protect you. If you make a run for it on your own, no one is actively protecting you. I don't have any orders that say I have to catch you on my own. In short, I'm under no obligation to restrain you or stop you if you try making a run for it." He chuckled. "Earlier this night, I was bemoaning the fact that I was forced to follow orders in death when I didn't do it in life. Now, I'm more or less aborting my mission again… I just hope it will turn out for the better this time around." He closed his eyes. "Run Naruto. Run, and don't look back. Jiraiya and Tsunade are strong… they will be able to stop me. Now, you must be strong as well. Run."

Naruto stared for moment, then, after a quick glance at the Sannin, who hadn't turned to face him, he nodded tightly, forgetting that none of them could see it, and took off. 'Thank you… grandpa Sakumo.'

Once he was sure Naruto was gone, Sakumo opened his eyes again and looked at the Sannins with reproach. "Naruto-kun doesn't know, does he? That he is the son of Kushina Uzumaki, the former Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, and of Minato Namikaze, who became the Fourth Hokage. Why is that?"

The Sannin exchanged glances. They should have known that Sakumo would recognize Minato and Kushina in Naruto. Jiraiya spoke first.

"Sakumo, you have been dead for over twenty years. A lot has happened since then." He sighed. "Two years after your demise, Minato made a name for himself. He got to be known as the Yellow Flash of the Leaf and two years later, shinobi of other villages had a standing order to flee on sight. I think he made more enemies than us Sannin and you, Sakumo. Then, sixteen years ago, the Nine-Tails broke free from Kushina's control and attacked Konoha. Kushina died in childbirth, as far as I know anyway, and Minato sealed the Nine-Tails into their newborn son, Naruto. It was decided that for Naruto's safety, it would be better if he grew up under the name Uzumaki and that he was just another kid orphaned by the Kyuubi. Kakashi was not powerful enough to protect him back then, Tsunade had left the village without leaving a note where to find her and I was out on my travels."

Sakumo sighed. "I see. So the Kyuubi attacked the village… Jiraiya… Tsunade… do you remember my suspicions after that mission gone wrong? That I suspected Madara Uchiha for capturing my teammates? You have just confirmed those suspicions. Listen, we don't have much time: The ninja who captured my teammates had a Sharingan and used a space-time ninjutsu unlike anything I had ever seen before. He somehow made his body intangible to every attack I dished out at him. Anything but my tanto just slipped right through him. Bellatrix Lestrange, the woman who is giving me orders, was accompanied by a man with the exact same jutsu. Furthermore, he mentioned in the passing that he took control of the Kyuubi sixteen years ago to attack Konoha. In short… Madara Uchiha is alive."

The eyes of the Sannins widened, but before they could speak, Sakumo shrugged off his cloak. It would only hinder his movements, like it did back in Okawa. "I cannot defy my orders anymore. Jiraiya… Tsunade… please… do not hold back. I hate to ask this of you my friends, but I must ask for one last favour: Come at me with the intention to kill… please… Jiraiya… Tsunade… stop me."

That was the last words he uttered before he drew a sword and attacked, initiating the fight between some of closets friends Konoha had ever seen.

00000

"Torden!"

The spell sent Bellatrix sprawling through the air, her shield charm destroyed by the pure force of the spell. When she looked up, Remus was standing a few feet from her, sword and wand ready for attack. He let out a growl, pointing both sword and wand right at her chest. The witch looked over the side of the cliff, and then she grinned up at her furious opponent.

"I should probably just kill you while you are lying down… like a pig for slaughter. Every part of my mind is screaming at me to do it. Give me one good reason, I beg of you, just one good reason, as to why I shouldn't tear you to pieces and I swear I won't"

Bellatrix laughed. "But if you do that, you will never know the truth of my elite warriors. You see, there is a nice little spell in this world. It has the power to bring back the souls of the deceased. It has, however, that great weakness that it takes a human sacrifice to anchor the soul to its vessel." A smile formed on her face. "With my knowledge of Inferi, Orochimaru took it a step further. He found a way to bind the soul of a deceased to a corpse. In short, he could kill one and then just summon the soul back and make the person his obedient puppet."

Remus narrowed his mismatched eyes, glowering down at the despicable woman. "I think you misheard me. I asked you to give me just one tiny good reason as to why I shouldn't tear you apart. Instead you just gave me one good reason as to why I should. I will see you in Hell someday, monster."

Bellatrix laughed as Remus raised the sword. "Then how about that the little blonde is about to become a chew toy for my wolves right below us?"

Remus hesitated before glancing down. His heart almost skipped a beat. It was only because of his heightened sight and the fires burning below that he was able to see it, but there was no mistake. Naruto, together with a girl that could only be Tenten, entered a building that, if Remus' memory served him right, was an orphanage. And further down the street, a small horde of pseudo-werewolves were approaching the orphanage, unnoticed by the shinobi of Konoha. But taking his eyes of Bellatrix was a mistake. He saw movement out of the corner of his eyes. He swung the sword and followed up with a Killing Curse; both missed the deranged woman as she ran away, laughing all the while.

He would have no problem catching up with her; something Moony was growling in his mind, roaring for her blood. He wanted too wanted nothing else than to rip the woman's throat out. But a small part of hi, however small it was, knew that if went after Bellatrix, Naruto and Tenten might not live to see another day. He looked after Bellatrix again; she was out of sight, but if he moved now, he might be able to pick up her scent… or stench, more likely. But if he gave chase, he knew for sure he wouldn't be able to get back to help Naruto and Tenten. The sweet taste of righteous vengeance… or the bitter one from knowing that he could have saved the lives of two kids. Moony was still roaring for blood, demanding what was taking him so long, but another part had already made his decision.

'Bellatrix… you have the luck of the coward. Next time… you won't have this kind of luck.

He snarled as pocketed his wand and focused a considerable amount of chakra to his right hand took the plunge off the cliff, focusing on changing it into an electric current and changing its shape into a surge. But instead of the sound of a thousand birds chirping, the sound of a thousand wolves growling roared in the night as the building and fires burning came closer.

11111

Naruto didn't know whether he had the best or the worst luck in the world. Right after exiting the Hokage Tower, he had run right into Tenten. His girlfriend had been at the Hatake Mansion, hoping to spend the night, when the alarm had sounded. Worried that Naruto had been taken since he wasn't there, she had grabbed his long bow and quiver full of arrows and run straight for the Hokage Tower to report him missing and then collided with him. After getting back on her feet, Tenten had hit him a few times before hugging and kissing him. After that, they had hurried down the street, but had stopped short right outside the orphanage, a three storey tall yellow building. What made them stop was the frightened cries of the children still inside. And to make matters worse, Tenten had spotted a large group of pseudo-werewolves approach the orphanage. They had tried holding them off with arrows, and had taken out quite a few, but they soon had to retreat further into the building as they were too vulnerable when near the windows, herding the children away from the battle.

Now they stood in front of the door to the dining hall where Naruto had once watched other children eat, not understanding why people looked at him with loathing, guarding the children inside. But both of knew, even as they kept taking down pseudo-werewolves, that they needed help. Sooner or later, the pseudo-werewolves would try another route, forcing them to split up to protect the orphans. And once they were divided, it would be way too easy to overwhelm them.

They were both scared, they could tell. But they had things to say to each, and this might be their only chance. Tenten spoke first.

"Naruto-kun, you probably don't remember, but we used to best friends when we were children on this very orphanage. You were like my little brother. But then I got adopted and it would be years before I saw you again. I tried to get them to take you with us… but… but they wouldn't. Naruto-kun…"

Naruto smiled sadly. "Tenten… I understand. I must admit that I don't remember that us being together in this orphanage, but knowing that you were there… it makes me… LOOK OUT!"

Naruto would have said happy, but he didn't get to finish his sentence, because pseudo-werewolves stormed around the corners, running and leaping on the walls floor and ceiling. Naruto instantly crossed his fingers, but Tenten stopped him.

"No! Remember, you can't use chakra! Get inside and…" The kunoichi frowned. "Do you hear growling above us?"

Naruto looked up, brow furrowing. Sure enough, a loud growling sounded from above, loud enough to be heard over the sounds of battle outside and the snarling of the approaching pseudo-werewolves. But what alerted Naruto even more was the fact that ceiling was starting to smoke and crack. Old reflexes kicking back to life, Naruto grabbed Tenten around the waist and threw the both of them through the door, him knocking down the door and landing so he was shielding Tenten with his body. It wasn't a moment too late either. The ceiling above where the stood before exploded in a blast of fire, sending debris and dust everywhere. Naruto was barely aware of the children screaming in fright, but when he heard the snarls and yelps of the pseudo-werewolves, he looked up.

The blonde Jinchuuriki didn't know whether to be relieved and awed, or absolutely terrified. They had gotten help alright, but the man before him was not his usual self. Remus Lupin was no longer the mild mannered man he had come to cherish: He was a pure killing machine, rage and bloodlust pouring of him in waves. Naruto was no Sensor type and couldn't really say how strong it was, but it was comparable to Remus' alter form. Moreover, he was moving with a grace that belied how long he had trained as a shinobi. He was neatly avoiding all the strikes of his enemies, be it from pseudo-werewolves or cloaked shinobi, giving them severe reprisals. If Naruto didn't know any better, he would have said Remus possessed a Sharingan, for he moved in way that was eerily similar to Kakashi. And his right hand was ablaze with red hot fire, and much to Naruto's surprise, it emitted the sound of a thousand wolves growling.

'Amazing. It like a Fire version of Kakashi-sensei's Raikiri.' Naruto flattened himself and Tenten further when a headless pseudo-werewolf was flung in their direction. The head landed right next to his, its lifeless eyes staring right at him, mouth twisted in a snarl. The blonde shuddered. 'That was close.'

"Naruto, Tenten! Get out of here!"

Both teens snapped their attention towards Remus who apparently got a break in his fighting. Getting on their, Naruto faltered slightly when he saw the mismatched gaze of the man. One eye was his usual green eye; the other was the eye of his inner wolf. But at the moment, it didn't really matter. It might not be directed at them, but Naruto could see the fury and bloodlust simmering in the orbs. And he could feel it. The blonde looked over his shoulder, towards the orphans. "More importantly, we need to get them out of here."

Remus looked in the direction Naruto was looking, but the moment he sat eyes on the children, he swore so lividly Naruto had a feeling that the man might have made Sai blush. He hadn't been able to smell them. Then again, the air was filled with smoke and blood and other nasty odours. Lupin ran different scenarios through his mind. All of them escaping were impossible. One would have to stay behind and keep the enemies busy. It wasn't much, but at least it would give the others a chance to get to safety.

"Okay, listen up. Naruto, Tenten, you know the village better than I do. You will take the children out of here, get them to safety."

Naruto frowned. "And what will you do, Remus-sensei?"

Remus glanced over his shoulder, trying to hear or smell the approach of the enemy. "I will carve a way out of here for you and try keeping them busy. Once that is done, I will join the fray outside."

Tenten nodded, but before she could speak, Naruto spoke up. "No way, Remus-sensei, we are not leaving you behind! Come with us! We are going to need your help protecting them out there!"

Remus growled low in his throat, eyes hardening, instantly silencing Naruto. "I already thought about that Naruto. It wouldn't work. Once they realize we are out in the open, they will all come after us. And no offence to you or Tenten, but I'm the bigger threat to them. If I'm with you, the more likely we are to be attacked. Also, if I'm to focus on keeping all of you safe, I won't be able to move as fast, and thus you would be moving slower as well. The slower you move, the easier a target you are." Naruto opened his mouth, but Remus held up his hand, eyes softening just a bit. "I cherish your concern, Naruto. Your care for your comrades and teammates shows that Kakashi taught you well." He glanced at orphans covering in the corner, then back at Naruto who still looked slightly defiant. "Which is why I'm sure you also know this: It is the older generation's responsibility to protect and guide the next one. It is the same in my world. I'm the older generation, so it is my duty to protect and guide you. Naruto… those children over there… they are the next generation. It is your job to protect and guide them… even if it is for the rest of your life."

Lupin turned his head, and started forming seals and building up chakra, his keen hearing having picked up on growls in the corridor. "I will happily give my life if it means giving the newer generations a chance. Naruto… Tenten… this mission is S-rank and I'm now giving you a direct order as your senior: Get yourselves and those kids out of here."

Naruto gave a tight nod to show his understanding, but he didn't get to say goodbye because Remus finished forming seals and spun on his heel. "Horse, Tiger, Dog, Horse Tiger! Fire Element: Hellhound Jutsu!" The fiery wolf roared down the corridor, incinerating several pseudo-werewolves before exploding in a blast of heat and flames, creating a huge hole out to the street. But Remus wasn't done. He quickly moved in the same direction, forming a single seal. "Water Element: Water Wall!"

The wall of dense water extinguished most of the blazes in the hole and formed an effective barrier between the pseudo-werewolves and cloaked enemies and Remus. Said man gave them a look and both teenagers understood: It was time to go. Ushering the kids between them, Naruto and Tenten ran out of the building, heading for the stairs leading up the Hokage Mountain. As he ran up the stairs, Naruto saw flashes of green light, fiery red blasts of fire and the tell-tale blue hue from lightning being unleashed. Then, the orphanage went dark and Naruto knew that it could mean two things: either Remus was victorious and en route to join the chaotic battlefield or he lost. Naruto pushed the thought aside, stopping his mind from going down that road. Remus would be alright. Kakashi would be alright. Jiraiya and Tsunade would be alright. They would all be alright… they just had to.

00000

"Dog, Monkey, Hare, Ram! Lightning Element: Titan's Majesty!"

A large lightning bolt cut the night sky. The moment it hit the ground, the ground shook from the impact and the shockwave it caused knocked both of the Sannin through the air, the heat from it burning their lungs. Tsunade crouched low, shielding her face from stones and dust.

'Unbelievable. Just like thirty years ago, his Lightning jutsu are giving us trouble. But at least we managed to him out of the village. Time to go on the offensive.' She looked towards her old friend and teammate. "Ready Jiraiya?"

The Toad Sannin nodded. "Go. I will cover you." Tsunade dashed forward just as Jiraiya's hair blew past her. "Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane jutsu."

Sakumo nimbly jumped out of the way of the incoming attacks, Tsunade's kicks and Jiraiya's hair taking down several trees as they fought. He hated this, being forced to fight against his best friends. So when Tsunade pushed jumped away from him, he got frustrated.

"What are you doing?! You need to take me down! Otherwise, my Lightning Gate and that portal in the sky will stay open!"

Tsunade frowned. "Sakumo, are you saying that you developed that portal?"

Sakumo shook his head. "No… but it was modified based on my jutsu. Moreover, Bellatrix linked it to me. Take me out and both will fall. So please… stop holding back on me. You will need to come at me with the intention to kill me, or you will never be able to defeat me and seal me. Please… it is the only way."

Jiraiya nodded sadly, slowly forming seals. "My friend… it pains me to having to fight you under these circumstances. And I'm sorry for not being there for you and your son when you needed me the most." He finished making the seals and looked directly at Sakumo. "Sakumo, you were the brother I never had. You taught me many things that have saved my life many times, be it on the battlefield or in my endeavours with women. But times have changed. This time… we are the stronger ones. Summoning jutsu!"

Sakumo was blown backwards by the shockwave as both Gamabunta and Katsuyu appeared in the forest north of Konoha. He smiled. "Gamabunta… Katsuyu… you have grown since last time I saw you."

The toad's glanced down at him. "You are… Sakumo Hatake? I thought you were dead."

Katsuyu bent down. "He is. It seems he has been resurrected through some jutsu."

Sakumo gave a tight nod. "Indeed Katsuyu-sama. Now… please put me to rest again before…" His entire body went rigid. 'Oh no. Not now… I swore I would never use this jutsu.' He found himself forming seals, unable to stop it. "Jiraiya… Tsunade… hurry. My body is acting on its own. I can't… the orders…" Both Sannin and their summons moved forward, but it was too late. "Summoning jutsu!"

A shockwave and cloud of smoke almost blinded the two Sannins. Once the smoke cleared, none of them could believe their eyes. They had never this summon of Sakumo's before. It was a humongous wolf with red-yellow eyes with teeth as big Jiraiya was tall. Its fur was black on the back and grey on its belly and sides. It wasn't as huge as Gamabunta or Katsuyu, but its snarl more than made up for it.

Tsunade asked the question, or questions, they all pondered. "Sakumo… what… where… how…"

Sakumo sighed sadly, clasping his hands together. "If you remember the legends of my ancestors, you know that the First Kakashi Hatake banished a wolf to another dimension. The Third Kakashi, The Emperor or The Titan, built the first and only shinobi empire. What history doesn't mention is that he sought to bring back the wolf banished by his ancestor. He sought to make it weapon… much like the villages have sought to make weapons out of the Bijuu. He didn't succeed in his endeavour, but he came damn close. He didn't get the wolf he intended, but he came close enough. This one of the wolf's offspring. My ancestor, having witnessed the destruction this wolf caused, forbid the Hatake Clan from ever attempting to summon it. And we haven't… until now." He looked at his friends. "Jiraiya… Tsunade… whatever the cost… stop me."

He didn't need to say it twice. Jiraiya was already done forming seals. "Bunta, you ready yet?!"

Bunta bobbed his head. "Let's do this!"

Tsunade crouched low. "Katsuyu!"

The slug's cheeks bulged. "Yes! Acid Slime!"

Bunta spit oil and Jiraiya ignited it. "Fire Element, Toad Oil Fire Bullet!"

The wolf growled before opening its maw. A blast of cold air was unleashed from its mouth and it collided with the burning oil, instantly freezing it. At the same time, Sakumo, much to his despair, finished forming seals of his own.

"Ram, dragon, dog, bird, hare, ram! Wind Element, Artic Storm jutsu!" A gust of freezing wind froze the acid in mid-air and the wolf easily evaded it the frozen. They weren't working together, but the wolf had no intention of going down without a fight. And because of his orders, Sakumo was forced to carry out this fight to bitter end. And when he bit his thumb once more time, he knew that he was being forced to fight with everything in his arsenal, even Blood Ninjutsu "Blood Art, Water Element: Water Summoning, Son of Sobek!"

At first, nothing happened. But then, from a nearby lake, a huge form of water rose. Jiraiya's eyes widened. 'Damn it all. I have heard rumours of the Blood Ninjutsu of the Hatake Clan, but I never imagined this would be a branch of it.'

The water soon took on the form of huge crocodile, about the same size of the wolf and it lumbered towards them and took up position on their right. Unfortunately, for all of them, Sakumo wasn't finished with his blood ninjutsu. "Blood Art, Earth Element: Earth Summoning, Serpent of Gaia!"

This time, the effect came instantly. On the Sannins' left, a huge serpent made of earth, rock and stone rose, the trees of the forest protruding from its back like spikes. Sakumo looked at the extraordinary summons, clapping his hands together. Summoning this lot had taken a lot out of him, but it had also loosened the hold of Edo Tensei. However, they would need to act soon or he would achieve his full strength.

"Jiraiya, Tsunade… listen to me. You need to take out the Water Crocodile and Earth Serpent. Blood ninjutsu allows me to breathe life into the elements and bind them to my will. My elders banned the use of Blood Ninjutsu for a reason. While it is exceptionally powerful, there is a huge risk. If the creatures summoned are defeated, the user will suffer the pain the vanquished summons experienced and a severe drain on their chakra. Defeat those two element summons with everything you, and you should have me down in no time. It won't be easy, I know, but I have faith in you my comrades. But you have to hit me now, before it is too late."

The Slug and Toad Sannin both nodded. But before they could move, the wolf, water crocodile and earth serpent attacked.

00000

Kakashi felt the air becoming cold before letting out a cry of pain. It felt like his entire body was on fire. 'What… is this feeling? I haven't felt anything close to this since Kyuubi attacked the village.' He fell to his knees, the burning increasing. 'No… not the Kyuubi… then why…' He looked up as two pseudo-werewolves bore down upon him. Ignoring the pain for a moment, he swung his sword around and beheaded both of them. Then a deafening howl, or rather roar, sounded through the night and the burning in his body intensified. 'What is going on?'

'_This presence… it is calling me…'_

The Copy-Ninja didn't have time to ponder his inner wolf's thoughts, for he suddenly had to dodge out of the way of a red jet of light. He glanced up at the Hokage Mountain, but he wasn't surprised to see that there were no longer flashes of light or explosion going on up there. The first thing that sprung to mind was that Remus had lost the fight, but his experience told him not to think that meant Remus was dead. He might just be out of commission or Bellatrix had simply done a runner. Whatever the case, Kakashi didn't have time to ponder it, for just then a jet of green light came at him. He dodged it, but the ninja behind him wasn't that lucky and he fell over dead.

Narrowing his gaze, Kakashi tried stretching all of his senses to max, hoping to get a clue to the witch's whereabouts. But if it was because of the burning in his body or because Bellatrix wore a Ghost Cloak, the silver-haired jounin was unable to find her. It could have been any of the alleys nearby. Moreover, with all of the fighting going on, it would be just as easy for Bellatrix to sneak in and out of the chaos.

Speaking of the battle… something weird was going on. The Konoha jounins, ANBU and the chuunins acting as the second line of defence had succeeded in pushing the masses of pseudo-werewolves back though and managed to keep them somewhat contained. Owl estimated that only about two-hundred of the pseudo-werewolves and small groups of enemy shinobi had managed to get past the ring of they managed to form to keep the hostile hordes contained, and several squadrons of jounin and ANBU had already been dispatched to deal with them. However… they might had managed to push the pseudo-werewolf army back and keep it contained, but for the last twenty or thirty minutes it had been a stalemate with the pseudo-werewolves getting the upper hand as they got constant reinforcements.

So why was it that they now were trying to get as far away from the shinobi army as possible? Filing the information away for later, and doing his best to ignore the pain in his body, Kakashi shouted to his comrades.

"Now is our chance! All units, push forward!"

The shinobi fought with renewed strength, slaying pseudo-werewolves left and right. The monsters seemed to be more concerned about getting back through the wells and the blue portal on the ground, colliding with the ones getting through to join the battle in on the battle. Some of them never got up as they were stomped to death by their comrades.

"Kakashi, you alright?!"

The Copy-Nin looked up, giving a smile to his friend. "I'm fine Gai. Go help the others, I will be there in a minute or two."

The spandex clad ninja gave his Eternal Rival a doubtful look but didn't push it as he drew his nunchaku and joined battle again. The pain in his body subsiding, Kakashi slowly got on his feet, having slumped against a building without realizing it. But he had barely left the wall before shuriken came flying at him, followed by jets of red and green light. Growling, he easily deflected the shurikens with his sword and dodged the jets of green light.

"Show yourself, Bellatrix. I know you. Or are you afraid to fight me?"

"Oh, is Kaka-cuckoo mad? Are you sad that you will never see the other wolfie again?"

Kakashi didn't let her words affect. "Please, give me a little a little credit, witch. I've been in this business for twenty-five years. You really don't think I will fall for such obvious bait, do you, b-i-t-c-h?"

The response he got was that of small barrage of green, blue and red jets and two shurikens being shot his way. Laughing, hoping to irk the witch even more, he tore down the alley, avoiding her attacks by jumping from wall to wall. Unfortunately, one of the curses came a little too close for comfort and a small explosion caused him to lose his footing and he dropped his sword. That didn't stop him though.

"Fire Element: Phoenix Flower jutsu!"

His barrage of small fireballs sped down the alley, giving it an eerie illumination. Kakashi smirked when he heard the shrieks of outrage as the witch protected herself with a magic force field, for the shuriken he had hidden in the fireballs still got through.

"Never underestimate the usefulness of a beginner level jutsu, Bellatrix! Surely Orochimaru taught you that much!" He laughed again as he jumped out of the way of the incoming fireballs and jets of light. "You will never catch me like that. I'm starting to think Remus exaggerated how dangerous you are." Usually, he didn't taunt his opponents like this, but with her being so easily goaded, it was hard not to. Sooner or later, she would make a mistake and that would be his chance. "Oh c'mon, is that the best you can? I'm disappointed. My old genin team would be laughing at you if they saw your performance."

Bellatrix let out a shriek of rage and this time Kakashi pinpointed her voice. But before he could move, she used ninjutsu. "Wind Element: Great Breakthrough!"

But she wasn't done. With a simple flick of her wand, she ignited the powerful gust of wind and the flames rose to the height of the rooftops. Kakashi quickly ran through the hand seals, cursing slightly. 'Me and my big mouth. I just had to push it, didn't I?' Sighing, brought his hands down to the ground "Earth Element: Earth Wall." The blast of fire hit the wall with tremendous force and Kakashi watched in disbelief as it started cracking. "Okay, time to cool the air. Water Element, Water Wall!"

Kakashi smashed his first line of defence, but it seemed to have taken the worst out of the witch's attack, because when fire hit water, it instantly went out, providing a lot of steam. 'Now, what will you do next Bellatrix?' The tell-tall sound of kunai and shuriken cutting through the air reached his ears. 'Now that is just insulting.'

With deftness gained from years of practice, he ducked under three of the four shurikens, catching the last one by putting a finger through its hole. He caught the three kunai in a similar manner before returning. Unfortunately, they didn't hit their mark as Bellatrix stepped out of the shadows, a smile twisting her lips.

"It has been fun tonight, but I'm afraid the game must come to an end now. I had hoped to capture my little plaything with the blond hair and blue eyes tonight too, but that doesn't appear to be the case. It would seem I underestimated the might of the Hidden Leaf. Oh well. An army can be rebuild. And it is not like I will leave empty-handed as you will be coming with me. So my new associate can't complain overly much."

Kakashi narrowed his gaze. "And just exactly who is you new associate? Also, you seem to be forgetting one minor but pretty important detail: To bring me along, you have to defeat me first. And that isn't going to happen."

Bellatrix smiled and brought her hands together in the Ram seal. "You will see my new associate very soon. As for defeating… I already did." Kakashi narrowed his gaze but then she spoke. "Portkeys: Activate!"

Kakashi didn't have time to drop the shuriken as it glowed blue. He felt a tug behind his navel and then moving behind time and space at nauseating speed. When the swirling stopped, he landed not so gracefully on hard ground. Groaning, he pushed himself into a kneeling position.

'How embarrassing. This is the second time I've been taken from my comrades through a Portkey. Where am I this time?' He looked around the room, or as far as he could in the dark. It had no furniture but it did have a window. Unfortunately, it was too high to see through from his current position, but he could hear rain drumming against it. Kakashi glanced towards the window. 'Bellatrix, you don't know a thing about me, do you? A window, no matter how high, is still an escape route… not to mention a good way of getting to know one's surroundings.'

"Kakashi Hatake… the last of the Hatake Clan. It will be a true pleasure erasing you from this world."

Kakashi's gaze instantly snapped to the corner of the room. Eyes narrowed, he let out a growl. "How rude. You know my name, but I don't know yours. Bellatrix's new friend I suppose… care to introduce yourself, or do I have to come and get you to tell me?"

The man chuckled. "Friend is a bit too much. As to whom I am… I'm your worst nightmare."

Kakashi opened his mouth to tell him he was wrong, but the man stepped forward, just as a lightning bolt struck outside, illuminating the man's orange swirl mask and Akatsuki robes. Kakashi's eyes went wide when his gaze zoomed in on the Sharingan glaring out at him from the hole in the mask. Then, everything went dark as he lost consciousness.

00000

Remus growled low in his throat as he caught a pseudo-werewolf by the throat before snapping its neck and tossing it down the street. Groaning against the pain coursing through his body, he leaned against a house, catching his breath.

'What is going on here? One moment I'm fighting those abominations, the next a roar shakes the night and my body feels like it is burning and might transform. Moreover…' He looked at the pseudo-werewolves running past him as if he wasn't there. 'They are running like their life is depending on it. Why…'

'_It is the presence of Lord Fenrir… it is calling to us, demanding that we come to his side._'

Remus eyes, both of them, went wide in disbelief and shock. 'Are you saying that the Fenrir wolf, the one that got defeated by the First Kakashi was banished to our dimension where it became known as the Fenrir wolf, is here!?'

'_No… the presence is too weak to be Lord Fenrir…. In all likelihood, it is one of his sons… but from this world or yours, I have no idea. Whatever the case, it is calling to us, asking us to join him. That is also why those third ranks mutts are running. They know they are not of his pack and will be treated as such._'

Remus didn't really question Moony at this point. He could feel the burning in his body tugging him towards the north of the village. However, his lapse in attention cost him shuriken in the cloak in the arm. The battle with Bellatrix and the one in the orphanage had taken their toll on his cloak, giving it great rips and gashes, weakening the magic in it to the point that it was so-so with it being fire- and waterproof… not to mention that with all the gashes it had, it was easy for shurikens and kunais to find a spot. Letting out a growl, he met the charging zombie head-on. He parried the first punch and retaliated with one of his own, his superior muscle power sending the Edo-nin into a wall. Swift as lightning, he pulled out his wand and aimed it at the ninja.

"Avada Kedavra!"

The green jet hit its target and the Edo-ninja dissolved to dust, leaving nothing behind. It was something Remus had discovered during the battle at the orphanage. The resurrected ninja might be impervious to physical harm, but the Killing Curse was the perfect counter. Ninja resurrected through Edo Tensei was bound to the body of the sacrifice. However, as it turned out, because of the nature of the Killing Curse, the summoned soul was ripped away from its vessel and banished back to the afterlife. It had long been argued in the Wizard world that the Killing Curse ripped the soul from a person's body and now Remus had strong evidence to support that theory. Pocketing his wand, and saying a low prayer for the soul he had just banished, the former DADA Professor headed north.

00000

"Fire Element: Toad Oil Fire Bullet!"

The earth serpent opened its mouth and a huge amount of mud flew from its mouth, meeting and effectively stopping the burning oil in mid-air. The water crocodile opened its maw and a large torrent of water was blasted right at the Toad Sannin. Gamabunta jumped, firing several water bullets at the Edo-Ninja atop the wolf's head just for the wolf to dance around them all. The wolf leapt to meet the large toad in the air, only the moment it left the ground it was brought back to earth, on its back, a much smaller form having a solid grip on its left hind leg.

Sakumo's eyes went wide as landed on a treetop, hands still clasped together. 'Tsunade… when did she… of course. Nice work you two. You created a Shadow Clone and had it transform into Tsunade while the real Tsunade snuck around in the forest, getting behind me.' He watched as Tsunade jumped high into the air and delivered an axe-kick to the wolf just as it got back on its paws, instantly downing it and creating a small crater as the wolf hit the ground for the second time before vanishing in a cloud of smoke. That did not sit well with Sakumo as it meant one thing. 'Damnit. This means that the Third Kakashi made a contract with it… either by forcing or tricking him… meaning that the entire Hatake Clan might be able to summon him. But he is just as likely to turn on the one who summoned him as Manda… Kakashi, be careful with your summons. I gave you the Ninken contract for a reason… to keep you away from this beast. However, in the long run, keeping you away from this guy might turn out to be a mistake.'

The White Fang felt a pain run through his body. And he didn't have to look long for the reason. The water crocodile had swallowed Jiraiya whole, but the Sannin had responded by unleashing a powerful Earth jutsu in the belly of the beast, turning the formation of water into mud. He watched in fascination as Gamabunta let out a massive stream of oil and another Jiraiya, this time the original ignited the oil one, drying the crocodile until nothing but completely dry mud was left. Sakumo smiled as it collapsed.

"Well done Jiraiya. You finally figured out that to beat the Element Summons, you need to strike it from the outside when its insides are weakened. Now you just need to beat the earth serpent and you will be about ready to defeat me."

Jiraiya panted a bit before straightening himself up. "Yeah, easier said than done. The earth serpent will be tough one to break. I only have Fire and Earth to back me up."

Tsunade reappeared on Katsuyu's head. "Then allow me to deal with it. Jiraiya, do you think you can cover me and keep both the worm and Sakumo busy?"

Jiraiya smiled. "Everything for you old girl."

Tsunade felt a vein pop, but this was no time to berate him. "Katsuyu, a diversion."

"Yes milady."

The slug instantly divided itself into hundreds of smaller ones, all of them surging for the enormous rock serpent, just in time to avoid getting hit by one of Sakumo's forced Lightning techniques, this one formed like a huge soaring falcon. Every treetop its wings, claws or beak hit instantly got hit by a lightning bolt before it took to the sky and then making a dive for where Katsuyu had stood moments before. Once it hit, it exploded, obliterating an area the size of the slug in a flash.

"Sakumo, you are fighting me!"

The White Fang looked up, just in time to block a kick aimed at his head by the Toad Sannin. Sakumo returned the favour by aiming a kick at the Sannin's face that deftly parried. And such began a hard-core taijutsu between two men who once were as close as brothers. One would punch, the other would duck. One would swipe but the other would jump, aiming kicks at the other to put distance between them so that the attacker could not take advantage of his opponent being airborne. It was watching a dance. They would punch, kick, jump, spin, and make backflips, block, dodge and launch counterattacks, without even getting near to hitting the other. But even the best of fighters and dancers make mistakes, and Jiraiya was no different a punch that went a bit too far left his left side right open and Sakumo attacked with a kunai, aiming right at his heart and lung.

However, seconds before the knife hit, pain flared through his body, and that hesitation was all Jiraiya needed to use a Substitution jutsu and appear behind Sakumo, his kick sending him sprawling to the ground. Severely weakened from the earth serpent getting destroyed, Sakumo stood and smiled as Tsunade reappeared by Jiraiya's side just as two small shockwaves indicated Gamabunta and Katsuyu had left the battlefield.

Both Sannin looked worse for wear, but they both spotted smirks, causing him to smile. "Nicely done Tsunade. Tell me though: How did you get into the belly of the serpent and destroy it?"

Tsunade smiled. "When Katsuyu divided herself, I hid within one of her clones. While all the others stormed the earth serpent, the Katsuyu I was hiding in slid into the snake's mouth at the first opportunity it got. Once inside, I embedded kunais strung together with steel wire in the, well, roof, walls and floor of the earth serpent. Once that was done, all I had to was hitting one of the kunais with a chakra infused punch. And while not on the same level as that of you or even Kakashi, I do have a small affinity for Lightning. Lightning beats Earth. Moreover, because of the wire between the kunai, the Lightning travelled throughout the snake, conducting the strength of my punch to every kunai I had planted. It was basically if a clone of me had hit every kunai in there. It never stood a chance."

Sakumo smiled. He had expected no less from the Slug Sannin. "Well done my friends, well done. Now… please… defeat me. You will have to seal me and you have to do it before I…"

He never got to finish his sentence. Instead, power coursed through him. He grew in size and his teeth sharpened. If his body hadn't been an Edo Tensei, he likely would have screamed in pain. But just as soon as it had begun, it was over. Tsunade's breath hitched. Sakumo was now standing almost two metres tall give or take a few centimetres, white fur covering his body. He looked almost exactly like when Kakashi and Remus transformed, only more human. His frame wasn't as bulky with muscles as theirs and he walked like a normal human on two legs. But his head was now that of a werewolf, mouth full with pure white teeth.

"Sakumo… what is this?"

Sakumo sighed and spoke in voice that was rougher than normal. It sounded strange coming from his new form. "My ancestor, the First Kakashi, fought the wolf and banished it to another dimension. What legends don't mention, at least not outside of the clan, was that the wolf managed to bite him. It caused a change in his genes, but it only showed years later, when he was nearing the end of his life. It allowed him a stronger, faster and more durable form, like a human-wolf, that he could access and turn off at will. I guess it was what one could call the Hatake Clan's version of Sage Mode. In any case, that ability followed his sons and their sons and so on, even if it lost potency as the generations passed. It came to the point that it skipped several generation as the last Hatake to inherit the ability, before me that is, was the Blind Wolf, Kashisamo Hatake."

A growl behind him caused Sakumo to turn around. What he saw was a man with blood smeared all over his face from various slashes, his cloak with the Konoha insignia torn in several places. However, it was the eyes that surprised him. One was green and human, the other yellow and like a wolf's. 'What is this he pondered. 'A new Doujutsu? No, that is not it… wait… that chakra… impossible… it is a watered down version of the one coming from the wolf I just summoned, but much stronger than the pseudo-werewolves. But that means that he is a…'

Sakumo didn't finish his sentence because Tsunade hit him in the head with a well-placed axe kick, disintegrating him on the spot. When he reformed, he was wrapped in bandages with seals on them, only his face being free. Glancing up, he noticed the two Sannin and the man with the two mismatched eyes staring down at him, a stick pointed at his face.

"You… are the same kind of ninja like Bellatrix, aren't you?" A curt nod was his only response. "And I can sense the wolf inside of you. You are not a pseudo-werewolf… you are a true werewolf." Another nod. "I see. And I'm also right in assuming that you know a spell that allows me to go back to the afterlife?" A third nod, this one more hesitant. "Good. Then do it. But before that…" he turned his gaze to the Sannin. "I want you to know that I'm proud to call you my friends and to see how strong you have grown. Please tell Kakashi that I'm sorry for not being there for him, for leaving him like that. Tell him I'm proud of him… he has turned out better than I could ever hope for." He paused. "One last thing: The witch, Bellatrix… she came here tonight to capture Naruto-kun and Kakashi. She had orders to bring them to the Hidden Rain Village if she succeeded. I do not know why she was to bring them to the Hidden Rain Village, but as I said earlier, she was accompanied by a man whom I suspect to be Madara Uchiha. Jiraiya… Tsunade… you both know this from the stories… if Madara Uchiha is involved… don't let down your guard… don't take anything for granted."

The two Sannins nodded and Jiraiya spoke. "Thank you my dear old friend. I just wished we could have met again under better circumstances."

Sakumo chuckled. "So do I. But I hope we won't meet again soon. Goodbye my friends."

Tsunade bit her lip before whispering. "Goodbye Sakumo… I will never forget you… or our time together. Go... rest in peace."

The White Fang nodded before turning his gaze towards Remus. "Do it."

Lupin gave a brief nod before muttering the spell. A green flash later and Sakumo Hatake was no more.

00000

Naruto couldn't believe his eyes, nor did he believe his ears. He hadn't seen this kind of destruction since Orochimaru invaded. Shinobi and civilians were trying to put out the fires still burning and removing bodies of hostiles and their brethren from the streets. The usual lively and cheerful market place had been turned into a scene from a horror movie. It was a massacre, the blood flowing down all the streets like small rivers. And the death toll kept growing and so did the list of MIA. At present time, six hours after the battle ended, they had a rough estimation at 1,500 dead and more than 2,000 MIA, counting both civilians and shinobi. But they guessed that those numbers would keep rising as the clean-up and recovery of dead and wounded progressed and that they wouldn't know the total numbers of fallen before additionally forty-eight hours had passed.

But even the news that over 3,500 pseudo-werewolves bodied had been destroyed made the feeling of dread in Naruto's stomach lessen one bit. Tsunade had just given him, Shizune, Jiraiya and Remus the news: Kakashi was on the MIA list and according to the latest reports, Kakashi was last seen battling a woman that matched Bellatrix's profile. And as if to add insult to injury, the Dark Mark still hovered over Konoha as a terrible reminder of the night that had just passed.

But what really angered Naruto was that the two Sannin apparently had a suspicion to where he might be held, but they were arguing about how to free him. Tsunade wanted to come with him or at least send squads to back him up, but Jiraiya was adamant: He wanted to go alone. Now that definitely didn't sit well with Naruto. But before he could speak, the man beside him spoke up.

"Master Jiraiya, Lady Hokage: We are wasting precious time here. But I might have a suggestion that accommodate the both of you: I will travel with Jiraiya. A two man squad will be harder to detect than a large group, and I can provide quite a bit of firepower. I also have a little knowledge about first aid from the wars I've fought in and I can guarantee a quick escape if I prepare a couple of emergency Portkeys in advance. This way Lady Hokage, you can stay in the village. The village needs you right now and you don't lose additional manpower. So what do you say?"

Jiraiya opened his mouth to protest, but Tsunade cut across him. "That is not a bad idea, Remus-san. But there is just one problem with it: There is less than a week till full moon. What will you do if you haven't retrieved Kakashi by then?"

Remus took a deep breath, readying himself. "Our top priority is to rescue Kakashi and have him back in the village by then. If necessary, Jiraiya, you will have to leave me behind in the Rain or take me down for good." He held up a hand, silencing their protests. "It is my fault Bellatrix got Kakashi in the first place. I should have killed her at the first chance I got and I missed it because I let anger cloud my mind. If my death ensures Kakashi returning to the village alive, so be it."

"No, Remus-sensei, you can't!" Naruto protested, looking the man right in the eyes. "It is my fault! Had I just kept my mouth shut and run straight for safety then-"

"Then those orphans would have been killed." Remus' eye locked with the blonde's, a smile on his lips. "I do not regret having to jump off a cliff and not stopping Bellatrix as it meant saving lives, Naruto. I only regret not killing her before that. There is no doubt in my mind that you and Tenten saved those children last night, Naruto. And I would be proud to call you my student." He turned his gaze towards the two Sannin. "So… what is gonna be?"

Jiraiya crossed his arms. "This is a bad idea kid. You do realize that, most likely, we won't just be fighting Bellatrix, right? According to intelligence gathered before last night, the Hidden Rain is most likely the base of the leader of Akatsuki. You will be in over your head if you join me on this mission."

Remus moved to stand behind Naruto, a hand grasping the boy's shoulder, offering him all the comfort he could. He had seen the reaction the mention of Akatsuki's leader being in the same city as Kakashi was being held had caused in the boy. He would be lying if he said he wasn't anxious about this mission, but now was not the time to let it show. The boy was afraid and angry enough as it was. It would do no good to fuel those emotions.

Still gripping Naruto's shoulder, met the gaze of the two Sannins evenly. "Pardon my bluntness, but to be frank, I've been in over my head ever since coming here. And it won't be the first time I go on a mission where odds are stacked against, be it in regards to the number of enemies or their power level. One does not survive two wars and countless fights by pure luck, Master Jiraiya. Surely, you can agree on that?"

Tsunade smirked. "He got you there, old man."

Jiraiya scowled. "I still say it is bad idea. You can't force me to take him with me if I don't want to Tsunade. This mission will take stealth and…"

Remus eye narrowed and a dangerous chuckle left his lips. "Allow me to rephrase my suggestion: I'm coming with you whether you like it or not. I'm not a shinobi of Konoha, so the Hokage can't boss me around and tell me what to do. So if I want to make a trip to the Hidden Rain, there is little she can do to stop me. She could try of course, but she would have no legal rights doing so as I'm honorary guest of the village. So, Master Jiraiya, it all boils down to this: Will you take me along as your back-up and know where I'm or will you rather risk I show up at the most inopportune of moments? Because one way or another, I'm going to the Hidden Rain. The choice is yours."

Jiraiya scowled at Remus in a way that had sent lesser men running the other way. But when the Toad Sannin realized that the man wouldn't budge, he let out a huff. "Fine… I'm taking you with me. We will leave from the Main Gate in six hours. But I'm warning you: This will be dangerous." Remus gave a nod. "See ya."

Naruto turned to look at the man behind him, doubt evident in his eyes. "Remus-sensei…"

The man gave him a smile, silencing the blonde "Easy Naruto. You can come see us off in six hours at the Main Gate and wish us a safe journey from there."

Naruto shook his head. "That is not what I meant to say, Remus-sensei. What I meant was that if Pervy Sage thinks this will be dangerous for you, then perhaps you shouldn't…"

Lupin gave another sad smile. "I appreciate your concern, Naruto, but I've made up my mind. I'm going to the Hidden Rain to save Kakashi or die trying. It is the least I can do to repay him." He let out a sigh. "I don't wish to brush you off Naruto, but I have to go. I need to fix up my cloak and prepare. And hopefully, get a little sleep as well. You should try getting some as well."

With that he walked out of the door, heading for the Hatake Mansion. Shizune glanced at Tsunade. "Lady Tsunade, are you sure him going with Jiraiya-sama is a good idea?"

Tsunade sighed. "No… but he rose some fair points during our discussion. Who knows: Him joining Jiraiya on this might be out best bet at getting them all home safely and getting some valuable information on the Akatsuki and its leader." The Hokage narrowed her gaze as she turned to Naruto. "After they leave, Naruto, and when you have gotten some rest, the two of us are going to have a little talk."

Naruto nodded absentmindedly, dread pooling in his stomach. Not for his talk with the Hokage, but for his two teachers that was about to set out to save a third. He just had this feeling that something was going to go terrible wrong on this mission.

End chapter 26.

**AN: Sorry for the extra-long wait… again. I have no excuses but two: Daily life and another project of mine has taken up my time lately. And my muses for this story has been pretty much non-existent. No matter how hard I tried, I simply couldn't get any flow with this chapter. Perhaps the knowledge that is nearing its end also has something to say. **

**Anyways, hope the chapter was just somewhat worth the long wait. **


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